Senator Risa Hontiveros has urged the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to enforce an immediate freeze on electricity disconnections for Manila Electric Company (Meralco) customers dealing with disputed bills.
The lawmaker contended that families should not be forced to pay contested fees while their complaints are still under official investigation.
Hontiveros stressed that ordinary citizens should not suffer the consequences of utility service mistakes.
“Hindi nila kasalanan na mali ang meter reading. Hindi konsyumers ang dapat mag-adjust,” Hontiveros emphasized.
The call for action stems from recent public outcry over sudden surges in electricity bills, highlighted by an incident where a household received an exorbitant bill despite turning off their circuit breakers while away on vacation. Meralco later acknowledged that the spike was caused by a meter-reading error.
The senator also took aim at current protocols that obligate consumers to settle disputed amounts “under protest” just to keep their electricity running.
“Kung lehitimo ang dispute sa bill, hindi makatarungan na pilitin silang magbayad muna. Pwede pa sana nilang magamit ang pera sa iba pang pangangailangan sa buwan na iyan,” she added.
Although the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers guarantees accurate metering and allows customers to contest charges, it fails to explicitly ban utility companies from cutting off electricity while a billing review is ongoing.
To bridge these regulatory loopholes, Hontiveros is pressing the ERC to establish a faster and fairer dispute resolution framework.
Furthermore, she revealed intentions to introduce a Senate resolution to probe systemic billing issues, assess the strength of existing consumer safeguards, and propose legislative reforms to better protect household rights.