REFUND, PLEASE
A measure seeking to refund consumers on unannounced and unscheduled service interruptions within a month that reaches 24 hours or more has been filed in the House of Representatives.
In filing House Bill No. 8191, Davao Oriental Rep. Cheeno Almario said consumers must receive a refund or adjustment to their monthly billing for unannounced and unscheduled interruptions not attributable to natural calamities.
According to Almario, utility companies like water, power, mobile phone, and internet service are responsible for providing quality and correct services in exchange for fixed charges.
But there are many instances that the frequency of service interruptions has reached a point of disruption to the lives of the people, businesses, and even the economy.
“There is this sort of covenant between utility service providers and consumers that in exchange for the right payment is the right service,” Almario said.
Likewise, the measure will hold companies accountable to the standards they guaranteed when they applied and granted franchises to operate.
Noting that these franchises last 25 years, the lawmaker points out that the losses people and the country incur add up in that amount of time.
“We routinely receive our monthly billings regardless of the power outages, water supply interruptions, or internet connection problems. These utility companies don’t fail to charge us even if they don’t deliver on the quality of service they promised. We hope to remedy that,” Almario added.
The Philippines is the most “internet poor” country in Southeast Asia according to World Data Lab, an Austria-based enterprise. Putting more than 58 million Filipinos who cannot afford a 1-GB internet monthly package. While in terms of global internet performance, the country ranks 79th and 41st in mobile and broadband speeds, respectively, based on the March 2023 provided report of Ookla.
In a report published this May 2023, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said that the economy loses about P556 million in a five-hour power outage.
Once HB 8191 is enacted, utility companies will have to pay back their customers through refund or bill adjustments if the cumulative service interruptions reach 24 hours or more, including subscribers of prepaid services.
