User:Mics.n2013

The 2013 Albay Power Service Disconnection was a power cut off in the province of Albay, Philippines on July 30, 2013, affecting thousands of people.

Immediate Impact
The power service was cut off around 12:00 pm (UTC+8, Philippine Standard Time) on July 30, 2013.

Affected areas
The whole province of Albay is affected by the said disconnection except places near the Geothermal Plant in Tiwi, Albay.

2010

 * The Albay Electric Cooperative Inc. (ALECO) owes P962 million (USD2.2 million) for the unpaid bills from February to April of that year.

2011

 * The Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) filed a notice of disconnection on March. But it was not happened because the cooperative pay at least quarter of its dues.

One bill Policy
The cooperative implemented an ordinance known as "One Bill Policy". Which means if a consumer fail to settle one electric bill, he/she will be disconnected.

Privatization
The board members are trying to plan to privatized ALECO due to its worsening situation. But many consumers are against it because according to them, if they continue to privatized the coop, the cost per KWh will go higher.

Events lead to disconnection

 * On July 7, the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) filed again a notice of disconnection after their electric bill for the month of June has reached to P66 million (USD1.5 million). They were given 15 days to pay that such amount before July 22, 2013.
 * On July 22, after 15 days, the coop failed to collect their dues but the scheduled disconnection has moved to July 30 due to the appeal of the Mayors in Albay and the President's State of The Nation Address.
 * On July 30, their worst nightmare came; as of 12:00 pm (UTC+8:00, Philippine Standard Time) the whole province of Albay grinds to a halt as it's power service was disconnected to the Philippine power grid.

Immediate Response
The following disconnection, Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda is negotiating with the officials of PEMC, DOE and NEA to restore the power service in Albay as soon as possible. Then the ALECO is announcing to the public to pay right away. The mayors of different towns and cities in Albay are also contributing for the payment of dues. The Legazpi City Government declared a state of calamity in the city and uses its calamity fund to pay the debt.

Power Generation
During the power disconnection, almost nearly half of its consumers have generators powering homes up to large business establishments. Many of its Albayanos the next day are rushing to hardware stores to purchase a generator. For those business establishments who have generators, they offer charging of gadgets (e.g. cellphone, laptop, tablet, etc.), flashlights, emergency lights and batteries for just only P10.00 to P20.00 per charge. This charging service was started since after Typhoon Xangsane (Milenyo) hit the province in September 2006.

Power Reconnection
The Department of Energy (DOE) orders to reconnect Albay back to the national power grid. And around 5:00 pm (UTC+8, Philippine Standard Time), power service was brought back to the province after it plunged into darkness for just 1 day and 5 hours.

Aftermath
After the power was restored, ALECO successfully disconnected their top 100 delinquent costumers. But its not the end of the game; an August 25, 2013 notice of disconnection will be filed again as they received the upcoming August 4 bill that cost around P100 million ($2.3 million). As of now, the whole province is still experiencing a power interruption over a short period of time.

Reactions
Many of the consumers are complaining about the disconnection because almost everybody are paying their electric bills. According to the former ACCI president Marcial Tuanqui, "This a just a wake up call for us". Tuanqui also worries about its impact on the business especially for those that depends on electricity. Meanwhile in the social media, Facebook users posted "it's more FAN in Albay" and another one was "Albay, longest Earth Hour in history".