15/08/2026
📢 MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF BARANGAY LIGAYA, ROSARIO, NORTHERN SAMAR
To our fellow residents and consumers of NORSAMELCO in Barangay Ligaya:
We are writing with one voice because we have all suffered enough. Day after day, we endure frequent blackouts and power interruptions — lights go out anytime, without warning, without explanation. Yet our bills keep going UP, not down. This is unjust.
Worse — we receive handwritten bills, not computerized official receipts. We do not know if the readings by Mr. Richard Largo and Ms. Hilen Dalaquet are true and correct. A house that uses NO electricity is still billed nearly ₱390. Where does this amount come from? There is no proper computation shown. This is not just unfair — IT IS ILLEGAL.
⚖️ WHAT LAWS ARE BEING VIOLATED:
1. Republic Act No. 9136 (EPIRA Law) — The law guarantees every consumer the right to reliable, quality, and affordable power supply and accurate, transparent billing. Frequent unannounced blackouts and unexplained high bills violate this law.
2. ERC Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers — Your bill MUST be computerized, clear, and itemized — showing previous and current readings, kWh consumed, and full computation. Handwritten bills violate this rule. You also have the right to know WHO read your meter and HOW it was computed.
3. National Internal Revenue Code (Tax Code), Section 237 — Any service worth ₱25 or more MUST issue an official, BIR-registered receipt. Handwritten pieces of paper are NOT valid receipts. This is tax evasion.
4. Republic Act No. 7394 (Consumer Act of the Philippines) — It is illegal to charge people for services not properly measured, or to use unfair, deceptive, or unclear billing practices. Charging a house that uses no electricity is deceptive and unlawful.
✊ WHAT WE MUST DO TOGETHER:
- UNITE — Do not complain alone. Let us stand together as one community.
- DOCUMENT EVERYTHING — Keep all handwritten bills, note dates and hours of blackouts, take photos.
- DEMAND — Computerized bills, official receipts, proof of meter readings, and proper computation for every charge.
- FILE COMPLAINT — If NORSAMELCO does not correct this, we will file a formal complaint together before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for failure to issue official receipts.
- WE WILL NOT PAY — We will not pay amounts we cannot verify, bills without receipts, and charges that are unlawful.
