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CUC urged to give customers more time to pay bills
Sen. Teresita A. Santos (Ind-Rota) has recommended that the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. give CUC customers more time to pay their utility bills beyond their due date, as a form of consideration in light of the financial instability the CNMI is facing.
In a letter to CUC executive director Gary P. Camacho, Santos highlighted the dire employment situation of people of the CNMI, with work hour reduction in both the public and private sectors.
“The continued loss of our Asian tourism market and not knowing how soon it will bounce back has left many of our people in the midst of a financial crisis that will leave many unable to make their monthly payments,” Santos said in a letter to Camacho.
The senator also pointed out that most families are still recovering from the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu.
“With the recent announcement that government employees are facing a biweekly 64-hour government work schedule, austerity implementation will further exacerbate the financial capability of most families in the CNMI to purchase basic necessities as well as pay loans, mortgages and other debts that they may owe.”
“Under these dire circumstances, quite a good number of our people would find it a lot more difficult to make ends meet on a timely basis, including utility bills,” Santos said. “Such accommodation is a form of assistance for the multitude struggling to meet obligations.”
