By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

THE Commonwealth Utilities Corp. last week disconnected power to 200 customers who failed to settle their accounts, although the agency admits that some might have avoided disconnection if CUC’s customer service branch were open on austerity holidays.
On Friday, CUC extended its work-hours up to 6 p.m. at its customer service branch to accommodate customers who wanted to settle their accounts.
“The Dandan office will be open through 6 p.m. to assist customers who wish to avoid disconnection and those who wish to have utilities reconnected, after more than 200 accounts were disconnected (last) week,” CUC stated in a public notice.
Pamela Mathis, CUC spokeswoman, said the more than 200 covers only regular accounts and is not part of the group that earlier filed complaints against CUC’s higher power rates.
Some of them will have their power disconnected if they don’t pay their disputed accounts dating as far back as Oct. 2006.
Mathis said at issue with their regular customers is the closure of CUC’s payment branch every other Friday as part of the austerity holidays law which took effect on Sept. 8, 2006.
“With the austerity holiday every other Friday, some private sector customers are not able to come in and pay their dues (on time),” she said in a phone interview. “We are asking for an exemption in that particular sector, not an all-out exemption.”
The administration, which has exempted about 1,000 employees so far, has yet to make a decision on CUC’s request.
The more than 200 customers who lost their utility services last week won’t have them back until they pay a reconnection fee.
CUC does not reconnect utility services during weekends.
“Overall, the community is affected by this issue,” Mathis said.
In related news, she said a number of customers who earlier filed complaints and did not pay their disputed accounts have settled their bills after CUC’s administrative hearing office issued a ruling that the higher power rates were legally implemented.
Last week, Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, appealed the administrative ruling.
CUC said it will continue to allow customers with billing disputes to settle their disputed accounts on a three-month payment schedule if they drop their complaints.
This payment plan allows any customer who has disputed an account on or before March 1 whose utilities were not previously disconnected for nonpayment to keep their power provided that customer settles his previous disputed bills within a three-month period.
According to CUC, these customers must pay at least 25 percent of their disputed bills and will have no more than three months to pay the previously disputed amount. They must also keep their accounts current.
CUC has 15,000 customers on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.