The Electrifying Electric Bill

Did the title already rings a bell?

Bills, bills, bills, bills.

In our everyday life, we often thinks about it. The water bill, electric bill, the bill for the internet, bills for school, bills for the house, and many more.

Every month, bills are running after us. We keep on thinking about the payday because we need to pay for the bills. Even before the payday comes, we are already doing some budgeting. Budgeting on how to make our salary meets our bills. Bill that we want to pay before the due date to avoid penalties. And, penalties means additional expenses to think of and be problematic of.

Bills, bills, bills, bills.

Aren't they're tired of running into our minds? 🙈

For today's article, let's specifically talk about our electric bill. Just like those other bills, it's the most electrifying one. Really really electrifying.

In terms of bill, how much is your monthly electric bill? A hundred pesos? Or two hundred pesos? Or five hundred pesos? Or one thousand pesos? Or much more higher than this? You're one of those lucky ones if you just have a electric bill of lower than one hundred pesos.

I was saying even before that we used to live together with Mama's siblings. They were four in their family; the eldest is a male, then here comes our Mama, another male, and their youngest is our Tita. Yes, the Tita that I used to mention in some of my articles and posts. Her older brother was also my godfather and I was used to call him as Ninong, rather than Tito.

When Mama got married to Papa, our Lolo decided to just made an extension to the side of their house. That extension will be our house, it more like a room with a sink. Lolo do this so that Mama won't leave the place. We lived there ever since Mama brings me to this wonderful world.

Years passed by, Ninong also got married and lived on her wife's parent's place. Tito also got his own family and they lived on the old house of their deceased Uncle, just within our compound. Tita just got married three years ago.

Where do they lived? Tita was living with our grandparents on their family house, the one that our small house got extended to. Tito lived on the other house but still depends on our grandparents. Until Ninong and his family ends up renting a boarding house just a few houses away from us.

Months passed by and they got kicked because they can't afford to pay for the monthly payment for the house rent. And, tadaaa! They moved in in their family house.

To make it short, Ninong, Tita, and Tito was living under one roof. While our family was also staying in this small house or room? I don't know what this really is but we call this as our home.

We cooked our own foods. They share only one rice cooker.

We buy our own stocks. Only one of them buy their stocks, the one who got the highest salary which is Tita's husband.

We finance our needs like foods. Them? It depends, depends on who has the money by that time.

Imagine how difficult it is? Three families living under just one roof. Sharing only one stove. Eating their meals together.

All of Mama's siblings has a more regular job. They earn five-digits in a month, ten thousand pesos was so low to define their salary. And, our parents? Even they combine their income from washing up the laundries and driving all day? It won't meet Mama's sibling's monthly salary.

But, why? Why do it seems to look that we have a more lighter life than them? Why? One word to explain why, debt.

They got a well-like debt. Yes, I understand that they sometimes sort from budget. I will understand if it was more on for their basic needs like foods, primarily. Our family will understand. But, it wasn't. It's for their lux. It's for their luho.

Let's get back to the topic.

We finance our own needs while they finance their needs, as one. But, these four families shares one thing. The electric bill.

Since that our home was just an extension to their family house, our grandparents encouraged Mama to just used or connect on only one circuit. So, we stay like this for more than two decades of living in this place.

One circuit means to only have one electric bill. But, it doesn't mean that only one person will just pay for the whole. Since that all of them has their own families to support, it means that they must provide a good and sustainable electric supply. All of the family members of each family are consuming electricity. We just don't know how much because we just shared one circuit.

Even before Ninong's family moved here, it was Mama and Tita's problem. It will not be a problem if Tito was also giving his shares for the bill. But, no. He has this thick face eh, according to Mama and Tita. His three children was not in his custody but he can't even support his own needs, from foods to the bills. So, Tita often pay his share but that "abono" wasn't being given back. And, it repeatedly happened for years. And, became even more intense when Ninong's family was here.

We thought that it will be lighter to pay for the electric bill since that another one can help in paying for it, even though that it means higher electricity to consume. Which also means that the bill will even get higherrrrrr.

But, no! It still goes like before.

I'm getting pissed every time that Mama needs to add another hundreds for her supposedly shares just to fill in the missing amount for the payment.

Since that Mama needs to wash more clothes because she's a laundry washer and she can't do this manually, she often used the washing machine. Before, she have 8 clients. And, most has many clothes to wash. And, what pisses me off is what Tita wants to happen. Which is for Mama to give a higher payment. Na kulang na lang s'ya ang magbayad ng bill sa buong buwan. For example, we have a bill of PhP 1,000 for this month and Mama should give PhP 500 because she uses more electricity, as for them. And the three of them will divide the another five hundred into three. Unfair, right? It's really unfair because they just based on how often we used the electricity even though they also consume electricity like how we consumed. They based on how Mama often used the washing machine. Though, Mama still do what Tita wants. She always add three hundred on her supposedly share, every month. Because for her, "mas maganda nang magbigay ako ng sobra kaysa may masabi pa sila."

It goes for over a year, until last June. They hadn't pay for the bill for May and her comes the bill of June. It means that they need to pay for that two month bill or else, our electricity will be cutted. Mapuputulan kami. Since that Mama's siblings has a children on the age of 4, 3 and 1-year old and a 5-month old baby, she decided to used the money intended to pay for our motor. She sacrificed it just for her nieces and nephew. She do it even we are stopping her because I and Papa knows that it won't be payed back. She still did it. Pay for the bill and until now, the money she used wasn't payed back.

And, it was happening again. They need to pay for the two-month electric bill and today was the disconnection date. But, we still have the electricity so I'm sure that tomorrow, we won't have it anymore.

I and Papa always teased Mama to pay for it again. But, she don't want to. She already learned her lesson. I and my sibling are already big enough to fan ourselves. But, her siblings' children? They still can't. Sana maisip nila 'yun at kumilos na.

So, I along with Mama and Papa decided to have our own electric circuit (kuntador) this next January, 2022 or when I got my scholarship allowance for the second semester of A.Y. 2021-2022. As far as we know, it might cost Php 7,000 or maybe a little bit higher. I will just sacrifice my printer first as I don't want my Mama to be malamangan nang paulit-ulit.

Just a little sacrifice and we'll get a much lighter life than now. Than them.

So that we won't be so much electrified by the high electric bill.

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Published by August 11, 2021