Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has sounded the alarm over the continuous rise in electricity rates, formally seeking a Senate investigation into sudden and unexplained “bill shocks” affecting many Filipino households.
Through Senate Resolution No. 511, submitted on Monday, Lacson scrutinized the power industry’s current practices.
He pointed to a problematic combination of suspected meter-reading anomalies, hidden charges, and the contentious policy of charging regular consumers for system losses.
“Access to affordable and reliable electricity is fundamental to promoting Filipinos’ welfare, national productivity, and economic development,” Lacson stated in the resolution.
The lawmaker is pushing for a comprehensive review by the relevant Senate committee to assess whether the existing regulatory framework successfully insulates the public from predatory or unnecessary expenses.
“It is incumbent upon the legislature to exercise its oversight function to determine whether existing regulatory mechanisms effectively protect consumers,” he added.
A key focus of his resolution involves the growing volume of grievances from Manila Electric Company (Meralco) customers.
Data highlighted by Lacson shows a sharp increase in residential power costs, which surged from ₱13.2730 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in January to ₱14.8261 by July. The most recent monthly adjustment of ₱0.3428 per kWh translates to an extra ₱69 expense for a standard household utilizing 200 kWh.
Compounding these higher rates is the Energy Regulatory Commission’s decision to allow Meralco and various power producers to collect ₱31.34 billion in deferred costs, an implementation that began hitting consumers in March.
Although Meralco attributed the elevated generation expenses to the temporary closure of the Malampaya gas facility and a reliance on more expensive imported liquefied natural gas, Lacson questioned why the public must absorb the impact of these market changes.
The senator took particular aim at non-technical system losses, which include electricity lost to illegal “jumper” connections and meter tampering.
Lacson stressed that forcing compliant customers to subsidize electricity theft is inherently unfair.
“Advocate argue that system losses should not be passed on to consumers, as this practice seems to unfairly reward operational inefficiency,” he asserted.