THE Department of Finance, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., has credited to each ratepayer’s account a $500 utility stimulus that the CNMI government hopes will help ease the residents’ financial burden caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an interview on Monday, Finance Secretary David DLG Atalig said a total of $7.5 million has been “uploaded” to over 6,000 CUC residential accounts.
Each ratepayer will get $500 into his or her CUC account, he added. He said as of Monday, the stimulus had been provided to 60% of the ratepayers.
Atalig said tenants can also claim their $500 utility stimulus. All they have to do is to bring their lease contract and receipt or any proof of billing to CUC so their $500 can be credited to their accounts, he added.
The $500 utility stimulus is one of the ways the CNMI government is utilizing federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act that the Commonwealth received last year, Atalig said.
He would like to thank Gov. Ralph DLG Torres “for allowing us to help the rate payers.”
He also thanked the hardworking staff of CUC for working promptly to make sure eligible ratepayers get their utility stimulus. “Hopefully, this would provide additional help to the households,” Atalig said.
CUC Executive Director Gary Camacho, in a separate interview, said CUC will “make sure that every ratepayer receives their money into their CUC account.”
