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CUC board passes motion to suspend disconnection fee
The board of directors of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. has passed a motion to suspend their disconnection fee for power consumers, following a law that was passed last December.
The board reconvened again yesterday following their scheduled public meeting last March 21 to continue executive session discussions as well as pass several motions.
The motion to “suspend disconnection of $15 subject to Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission’s approval” was proposed by director Albert Taitano, and was seconded by director Joe Torres.
During the discussion, CUC legal counsel James Sirok stated that the disconnection fee is a CPUC-authorized fee and is part of their tariffs.
The law, Public Law 19-27, which was authored by Rep. Francis S. Taimanao (Ind-Saipan) and signed by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, stated that the removal of CUC’s Disconnection Notice-Electric Fee of $15 will take effect upon approval by CPUC.
“But PUC has not had session for the last year and a half,” Sirok said.
Aside from Taitano and Torres, board chair Adelina Roberto, vice chair Eric San Nicolas, and director Ignacio Perez also voted yes to the motion and it was carried.
According to Roberto, they have to follow the law.
“There’s a law already passed that is going to remove it. We’re going to follow that law and if CPUC says you cannot do that, then I guess the governor will have to do something about it,” Roberto said.
“But we have to follow that law and it has already been in place,” she added.
According to CPUC chair Joe Guerrero, the commission will also look into the law that was passed last December.
He noted that since the law has a clause that it needs CPUC approval, until they do so, CUC is still authorized to collect those fees.
Guerrero added, however, that CUC can choose to waive that fee if it will not have an impact on their revenue.
“When we authorize charges that means those are the maximum amount that they can collect,” Guerrero said, “CUC can decide to waive it at anytime especially if it’s not going to affect revenue.”
