Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno has renewed his call for the House of Representatives to launch a formal investigation into the abrupt and unexplained inflation of electricity costs.
The lawyer-lawmaker raised the alarm over a flurry of grievances raised by consumers targeting the power distribution giant, Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
In a social media statement published on Tuesday morning, July 14, Diokno urged immediate legislative intervention:
”Nanawagan tayo sa Kongreso na aksyunan na sa mas lalong madaling panahon ang ating House Resolution (HR) No. 995 upang imbestigahan ang mabibigat at hindi malinaw na singil sa kuryente,” Diokno said.
The lawmaker revealed that his office has been flooded with reports from citizens complaining about “huge penalties” arbitrarily handed down by Meralco over unverified violations.
”May mga lumalapit sa ating opisina dahil sa biglaan at napakalalaking penalties na ipinapataw sa kanila ng Meralco dahil daw sa nakitang jumper o tampering. May ganito rin ba kayong karanasan?” he questioned the public.
House Resolution No. 995 explicitly mandates the House Committee on Energy to mount an inquiry, in aid of legislation, regarding the sudden spikes in monthly power bills. The probe aims to dissect how pass-through fees and the lifeline rate subsidy are currently impacting ordinary citizens.
Initially submitted in May, the resolution outlines the severe public outcry following recent billings issued by Meralco. The document notes that:
”Recent electricity bills issued by the [Meralco] have triggered public complaints over unusually high charges, imposing additional financial burdens on Filipino households already grappling with rising prices of basic goods and services and the continuing global oil crisis that has contributed to higher fuel and energy costs,”
The authors highlighted that utility bills have grown cluttered with diverse charges passed on to end-users. These include generation, transmission, system loss, and universal charges, as well as the lifeline subsidy rate, the Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All), the Green Energy Auction Allowance (GEA-All), missionary electrification fees, and various taxes.
The ultimate objective of the resolution is to establish transparent, fair, and sustainable power pricing to shield consumers from unjust financial strains.
Diokno also reminded consumers of their legal safeguards under the law:
”Paalala rin sa lahat: Sa ilalim ng Article 9 ng Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers ng Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), may karapatan ang consumer na ipasuri sa ERC ang kanilang metro,”
He then challenged the state power regulator to proactively defend public welfare over corporate gains:
”Nananawagan tayo sa ERC na tiyaking nasusunod ang karapatang ito. Mandato nilang protektahan ang publiko, hindi ang interes ng malalaking kompanya ng kuryente,” he added.
The resolution was jointly filed by Diokno alongside Akbayan Party-list Representatives Perci Cendaña and Dadah Kiram Ismula, as well as Dinagat Island Lone District Representative Kaka Bag-ao.