Manila: An official of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on Wednesday announced that the proposal to extend the no disconnection policy on power bills will consider not only the consumers but distribution utilities (DUs) as well.

According to Philippines News Agency, the ERC initially imposed the no disconnection policy from May to July this year. This measure was implemented to assist power consumers facing high power rates, which were partly a result of increased consumption during the summer months and the impact of the Middle East crisis on fuel supply.

ERC Legal Service Director, lawyer Maria Corazon Gines, indicated that the commission is considering extending the policy for an additional one or two months. She emphasized the importance of finding a balanced and fair solution for both consumers and distribution utilities. Gines noted, "If you're going to extend the no disconnection policy and no one will pay, it might compromise the payments of the distribution utilities to their suppliers."

In addition, Gines mentioned that while the ERC has approved applications from DUs and electric cooperatives to increase generation charges, this will not significantly impact consumers as the increases will be implemented gradually. She explained that generation charges make up approximately 50 to 70 percent of a power bill's components. Although generation charges may accumulate over several months, she assured that they will not be applied all at once, allowing consumers some relief until the charges are fully paid.