By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

A WIDOW who has a pending dispute with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. over her water bills lost her power before also losing her water supply yesterday morning.
Bella Mendoza, who lost her factory job a few years ago when Sako Garment Manufacturing shut down, said she doesn’t know why CUC cut off her power because she has been paying her bills on time even after the doubling of the power rates starting in July 2006.
Mendoza said when she inquired about CUC’s faulty disconnection practice, she was told to produce the following documents — the lease agreement on the property where their house is located, a probate or will from her deceased husband, and an authorization letter to keep the CUC account.
The CUC account was listed under Mendoza’s husband’s name, Conrado, who died in 2005.
The widow said she was told that before the account could be transferred to her name, she must produce the documents.
She was also told that she must pay a security deposit before her power can be reconnected.
Her water service was also cut.
Mendoza has been complaining about her water bills since CUC installed a water meter in their residence in 2006.
She said CUC is charging them too much. One of the disputed monthly water bills shown to Variety amounted to $382.22.
Mendoza said there are only seven people in their house includingthree children.
“We don’t have a washing machine. We only have two bathrooms. How can we consume that much water?” she said.
She said she later found out that the CUC water pipe along the road leading to their residence was broken.
“There was a leak but it was beyond our control. CUC should fix that,” she said.
She is appealing to authorities to act on their power problem for the sake of the three children in their household.
“We are paying our power bills. How can they can disconnect us?” she said.
Variety tried but failed to reach CUC for comment yesterday.