President Hipolito Mejia is exploring various options to diffuse some of the impact the middle classes will suffer with this month?s electric bill. The Listin Diario says that the President will decide today exactly what he can do to avoid subjecting consumers to the 20.5-percent increase planned for electric bills this month. Superintendent of Power Julio Cross told the press that his office has devised a set of alternatives that would soften the blow of the new electric rates. The President is expected to decide on the course of action to be taken after he meets today with the Commission for the Sustainability of the Electric Sector. Cross told reporters that neither he nor the President were considering any subsidies for consumers, but rather a type of fund that the government could recoup when the oil prices go down. According to El Caribe, this alternative has been approved by the commission. The electricity distributors are anxious to settle the matter, so that they may begin printing the invoices for the month.