Bayan Muna Party-list protested in front of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) office in Kamuning, Quezon City yesterday, March 17, to denounce the electricity rate increase this month. On March 11, Meralco announced an increase in household rate of ₱0.2639 per kilowatt hour (kWh).

Meralco’s rate will reach ₱12.2901 per kWh this March from the previous ₱12.0262 per kWh last month. This is equivalent to an additional ₱53 payment for households consuming 200 kWh per month, ₱79 for those using 300 kWh, ₱106 for those using 400 kWh and ₱132 for those using 500 kwh per month.

According to Meralco, the increase in electricity rates is due to the absence of a one-time downward adjustment in reset fee, equivalent to ₱0.2264 per kWh for customers implemented in February, as per the order of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). There was also an upward adjustment of ₱0.1294 per kWh and an increase in transmission charge for residential customers. This is a result of higher ancillary service charges incurred by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

According to Bayan Muna, it is unacceptable that Meralco is passing on this burden to consumers who are already struggling with rising prices of basic commodities. “The Energy Regulatory Commission must act now and launch a full audit of Meralco’s charges,” Bayan Muna second nominee Atty. Carlos Isagani Zarate said.

He asserts that it is Meralco’s duty to provide transparency and accountability to its consumers and not endless electricity rate increases. Zarate also called the “refund” that Meralco will give to consumers as merely a “token” or consolation.

The ERC recently ordered Meralco to return the overcharged amount to consumers totaling ₱19.96 billion over 36 months starting April. The refund to be given to consumers will only amount to an average of ₱0.1189 per kWh. This amount is Meralco’s overcharge from July 1, 2022 to December 2024. Bayan Muna calls for a full investigation into Meralco’s overcharging.

In light of this, Zarate urged the Marcos administration to focus on and prioritize the welfare of consumers over corporate profits. “Consumers are not cash cows for big corporations. We need stricter regulation and real accountability,” he said.

Meralco is owned by Metro Pacific Investment Corporations which is run by the comprador-bourgeois Manny Pangilinan. Its partner is JG Summit Holdings of the Gokongwei family.