Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on lawmakers to implement a “no disconnection” rule to shield electricity consumers from power cuts while they contest unusually high or erroneous utility bills.
In a statement released Friday, July 10, Hontiveros argued that citizens should not be forced to pay for billing mistakes out of fear of losing their electricity. She emphasized that the responsibility for fixing billing errors rests entirely on the utility providers.
“Consumers who were erroneously charged should not be forced to pay disputed charges just to keep their lights on. Hindi nila kasalanan na mali ang meter reading. Hindi konsyumers ang dapat mag-adjust,” Hontiveros said.
To highlight the issue, the lawmaker pointed to a recent incident where a family received an exorbitant bill despite turning off their main circuit breakers while traveling.
The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) later admitted the spike was caused by a faulty meter reading.
“In one reported case, a household was billed for electricity consumption even though its circuit breakers had been switched off while the family was away on vacation. Meralco later acknowledged that the bill resulted from a meter reader’s error,” she said.
Currently, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) requires consumers to pay disputed amounts “under protest” if they want to prevent their electricity from being cut off during an official investigation.
“However, the Energy Regulatory Commission advised that those who contest their bills must still pay under protest to avoid disconnection while their complaints are being investigated,” the senator said.
Hontiveros criticized this setup, stating it favors corporate interests over ordinary citizens.
She noted that while unpaid contested bills will not financially cripple a massive corporation like Meralco, sudden financial demands can severely disrupt a working family’s budget.
“Bakit parang inuuna pa ang interes ng Meralco? Hindi naman siguro sila malulugi sa unpaid contested bills. Pero ang mga kababayan natin na di handa sa biglang lobo ng babayaran ay lalong mahihirapang magbudget,” Hontiveros said.
The call for consumer protection coincides with Meralco’s latest price hike for July, which raised power rates by ₱0.3428 per kilowatt-hour, bumping overall household costs up to ₱14.8261/kWh from June’s ₱14.4833/kWh.