By Gabriela Baron
Former Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate filed on Wednesday, July 20, a Motion for Reconsideration (MR) at the Supreme Court to stop the highest power rate hike.
Zarate said they filed the MR “for the High Court to give a second look at the case and hear the plea of millions of electricity consumers.”
“The SC decision will add a P10 per kilowatt hour (kwh) increase to the present power rate of around P9/kwh in mostly now struggling households,” Zarate continued.
“That means more than double the electricity bills of our already crisis-battered and overburdened consumers,” he added.
In July, SC upheld a December 2013 rate hike by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) that sought to charge from its customers P22.64 billion in recovery costs.
“While the decision, as it is now, said the [ERC] did not abuse its powers even when it wantonly approved with haste the questioned increase in 2013, we continue to assert otherwise,” Zarate said.
“What about the consumers who will be forced to shoulder the rate hike, which is the highest recorded pass-on charge in Philippine history, and which atrocious amount was a result of anti-competitive behavior, ineptness, and irregularities? What about the State policy of consumer protection and regulation of monopolies for the public good?” he added. –ag
