Gahaman sa kita! Gatchalian slams MERALCO’s resumption of convenience fee for online payments

By JOHN CARLO M. CAHINHINAN

Senate committee on energy chair Sherwin Gatchalian has called out the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) to incentivize their customers who are using its online payment platform rather than imposing additional charges.

According to Gatchalian, the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic remains and that many customers may still be unable to visit business centers due to limited transportation.

Gachalian has scored the decision of the Manny Pangilinan-led power firm to resume its collection of a P47.00 convenience fee for those who wants to pay their electric bills, which was temporarily waived during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in many parts of the country—particularly over the entire Luzon.

“Baka nakakalimutan ng MERALCO na nandyan pa rin ang banta ng COVID-19 sa kalusugan ng bawat mamayan sa kabila ng pinaluwag na quarantine,” said Gatchalian.

“Kaya nga natin sinusulong ang paggamit ng online platforms sa pagbayad ng mga bills ay upang hindi na lumabas ng bahay at makipagsapalaran sa mga bayad centers at iba pang establisyemento ang mga tao, pagkatapos ay pababayarin din pala sila ng dapat na pang serbisyo publiko na lang.”

Pangilinan’s MERALCO recently announced that it will resume collecting the said fee from consumers who wish to pay their bills online as Metro Manila and other cities started reopening payment and business centers.

Gatchalian stressed that the online convenience fee being charged by Pangilinan’s firm is “a disincentive for consumers moving online.”

“Why will Meralco resume collecting 47 pesos from every household when many of our ordinary kababayans have just returned to work trying to recover financial losses? This should not happen! The public has been inconvenienced enough,” said Gatchalian.

Meralco has earlier clarified that the fee does not go to its coffers and that payments go through a payment gateway operated and maintained by online third-party service provider PayMaya.

Because of this, Gatchalian urged the ERC and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to look into the fees being charged by third-party service providers.

“We don’t want other distribution utilities to get an idea in coming up with a similar setup, to the detriment of power consumers. We don’t want to create undue stress to our consumers,” he added.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)