By The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has ramped up the conduct of barangay caravans in different cities and provinces within its franchise area to encourage more beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and other qualified marginalized households to apply for the lifeline rate program so that they can get discounts on their electricity bills.
Starting September 2023, only customers with approved applications will continue to enjoy the discount in accordance with the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 11552 or the law extending and enhancing the implementation of the lifeline rate.
Beyond information campaigns that started as early as April, Meralco has also been conducting on-site applications for qualified customers so that they can immediately benefit from the program.
Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said the power distributor is proactively looking for ways to encourage more customers to apply for the lifeline rate program.
“While we have already engaged all local social welfare development offices or SWDOs in our franchise area, we will continue to reach out to more customers and we hope that the on-site applications will lead to the increase in the number of program beneficiaries,” he said.
For this month, Meralco has lined up on-site applications and caravans in the cities of Caloocan, Las Piñas, Manila, Parañaque, Quezon, and Valenzuela.
Outside of Metro Manila, Meralco will also do the same in San Rafael and Meycauayan in Bulacan, San Pablo City in Laguna, General Mariano Alvarez and General Trias in Cavite, Taytay and Rodriguez in Rizal, and Mauban and Sariaya in Quezon.
Under the lifeline rate program, qualified customers should have a monthly electricity consumption of 100 kilowatt hours (kWh) or below to avail the discount ranging from 20% to 100% in their Meralco electricity bills depending on their actual consumption.
Eligible customers can still apply by visiting the nearest Meralco Business Center together with their completed application form, latest electricity bill, and 4Ps ID. For non-4Ps beneficiaries, a local SWDO certification and government ID are needed. Applicants can also take advantage of the dedicated lanes for the lifeline rate program applications.
“We are calling on all our qualified customers to take advantage of our caravans and apply for the program so that they can continue to benefit from the discount. Rest assured that Meralco will immediately process the applications and continue our information and education campaigns to bring in more customers to the program,” Zaldarriaga concluded.
For more information on lifeline rate program, visit https://company.meralco.com.ph/news-and-advisories/lifeline-rate-faqs