Electric consumers of Eastern Samar are riled up, if not livid, at the "outrageous" charges of power companies in the region considering the "unsatisfactory" electrical services with recurring brownouts.
Shock is an understatement as several of them had taken their sentiments to social media after recently receiving their monthly electric bills.
A certain James Batula from Dolores Eastern Samar was among the first few who made headlines after receiving a bill amounting to P1,772,038.91.
"Akala ko one thousand plus lang, one million plus pala. Ang sakit lang sa ulo kakaisip," he posted.
But Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative. Inc. (Esamelco) issued a statement claiming that it was an unfortunate case of an erroneous meter reading and was immediately addressed.
In addition, the said bill was revealed to have been issued two months prior the posting hence it is not not only misleading but also a blatant display of mal-information.
Despite the issue, said posting was just the start as other customers from Leyte and other parts of Samar also vented their frustrations.
"Waray na lugod gamit gamit hit tv ngan laptop kay mga bata adto naman skwelahan pirmi, dumurudako lugod nam baraydan..An 3k an hadi nag 5k tas 6k tas bumalik ha 5k tas yana nagpan lalapos lugod..Waray na aircon aircon hit udto tas mag aircon man hit gab i 9 PM- 5:30 AM la..Imbis ipapalit nat pagkaon puros nla ini ibarayad kuryente," posted Joy Caspe from Dulag, Leyte.
She added that they are trying to cut costs to save but it would appear that supposed saving will be used to pay their current P7,744.92 electricity bill.
"8,000 han una an Akon kabaraydan Yana nga bulan imnabot hin 10,615 ngan nagtitipid kami pag gamit han Amon mga appliances" ranted one DORELCO costumer.
In a now deleted post, Leyeco II costumer Kevin Palaña also posted their over P20,000 bill which drastically increased to P82, 295.88 but is now assumed to have been settled and may have been a reading error after the posting.
However, emotional reactions from the public were to be expected after the electric companies released the additional charge per kilowatt hour for the month of September.
In addition, the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) had earlier explained that their ineligibility to participate in the competitive selection process (CSP) is the primary reason why consumers in host communities in the region do not enjoy lower rates.
Furthermore, the said disqualification from the CSP was due to the lack of the required power generator to possess a new power plant or a power plant expansion to supply its power requirements.
As a consolation, the EDC released a statement last July where it committed to continue supporting the Eastern Visayas by helping build its climate resilience and triumph over the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as finding ways to bring down its power rates.
However, for the consumers, it is more than just the fluctuating charges that they continuously experience.
It is their call for a "justifiable" pay for the service they receive.
"Kamamahal hit sukot pero it brownout masukot man. Kuryente tam gin babaydan diri it brownout. Baman kun diri kami naka bayad kasayon man la gihapon ha iyo pangutod pero kun serbisyo nga tuhay tam inaro kakuri man mahatag, bisan abiso kada brownout danay waray pa," one consumer posted.