Razon-led MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) is extending its second round of bill deposit refund to eligible customers that it has been servicing in Iloilo City. In a statement to the media, MORE Power indicated that it will enforce pay-back on bill deposits “to customers who have consistently paid their bills on time for 36 months, or three years, without experiencing any payment disruptions.” It emphasized that such policy is consistent with the prescription of the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers that was instituted by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) since 2004. As explained, a bill deposit refers to the amount being required from all customers of distribution utilities (DUs) to serve as a guarantee for their payment of electric bills – and that is typically equivalent to the estimated electricity consumption or load schedule provided upon a subscriber’s application with the utility company. MORE Power reported that in May this year, it was able to refund P9,000 in deposits to at least three eligible customers. Thus went up to P65,000 in June covering around 20 qualified customers while for July, the target is to refund at least 65 customers On this continuing refund program, the Iloilo-based distribution firm is anticipating that the bill deposit refund process will already benefit 777 customers until year-end. According to Roel Castro, president and chief executive officer of MORE Power, “the bill deposit refunds are not considered rewards but rather the consumers' rights based on the Magna Carta for Residential Consumers.” He thus noted that “"we have implemented this program in strict compliance with the law,” emphasizing that “the bill deposit does not belong to us; it rightfully belongs to our consumers.” The bill deposit refund is an initiative that even the ERC, as a regulator of the restructured power sector, has been expecting to be heeded also by the other power utilities. Beyond this financial relief it is bestowing to its qualified subscribers, MORE Power stated that efforts and investment plans moving forward will be focused on improving the services it will be extending to all customers within its franchise area.