MANILA -- A consumer group has called on Meralco to impose a moratorium on bill collection and disconnections for 4 months for areas hard hit by Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon the previous week.

Power4People Coalition Convenor Gerry Arances has called on Meralco and the Energy Regulatory Commission "to take action in view of the widespread damage and economic dislocation brought about by the twin weather phenomena."

According to the group, Filipinos need more time and assistance to recover as they repair their houses and try to put their lives back together.

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Meralco, according to Arances,  is in the position to give in to their request as it earned more than P22 billion in profit last year due to higher electricity demand.

"Economic relief does not just mean handouts and calamity loans. They also need a respite from the expensive electricity bills that come monthly. Considering the record profits of energy companies, it would not be unfair to ask them to also do their share in helping the nation recover,” reads a statement from Power4people.

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ERC Chair Monalisa Dimalanta said the commission will study measures to help affected consumers.

 "I have already directed our team to study measures that can be adopted by the Commission to address the post-flooding situation affecting consumers and stakeholders in Metro Manila, Bulacan and nearby areas," she said.

"Kasama po dito ang pag-aaral sa pag-suspinde ng disconnection kung hindi nakabayad ng bills sa deadline ng distribution utility dahil sa baha." says Dimalanta.

Power rates rose in July because of higher generation charges, as power costs normalized after being "artificially low" in June.