By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
In response to mounting public frustration over successive hikes in consumers’ electricity bills, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) stepped in to address this financial burden on Filipinos’ wallets.
This, as the Commission ordered the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to issue a P9.5 billion refund to more than eight million customers—the equivalent of P0.3448 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate charged within six months.
The ERC, moreover, instructed Manila’s lone electric power distributor to submit a list of its spending and proposed projects, which will serve as the basis for the computation of the refunds that will be issued to affected consumers.
Meanwhile, at a briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro welcomed this development as a timely relief for the citizenry in the face of inflationary pressures.
Castro announced, noting that a customer consuming 200 kWh per month could receive a refund of more than P100, “Makakaasa ang mga residential customers ng Meralco na makakatanggap sila ng refund rate na P0.5861 per kWh.”
She added further, “Malinaw ang hangarin ng Pangulo: Ibalik sa taumbayan ang kanilang pinagpaguran. Kada piso na matitipid ay malaking tulong sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino.”
Earlier, Meralco also drew flak for other line items such as the lifeline program, senior citizen discounts, and renewable energy initiatives that were charged to consumers’ electricity bills.
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