Philippines – The country is currently experiencing very high charges in electricity bills, especially those consumers who are using the Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company or Meralco services.
The Meralco customer or electric service consumer is complaining of high electricity bills with different charges indicated in their Meralco electricity bills, and since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, particularly the feud between the US and Iran, and the on and off closure of the Strait of Hormuz, it definitely affects the Meralco power generation cost.
The Meralco customer or electric service consumer is complaining of high electricity bills with different charges indicated in their Meralco electricity bills, and since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, particularly the feud between the US and Iran, and the on and off closure of the Strait of Hormuz, it definitely affects the Meralco power generation cost.
All these high charges from Meralco lead to good news where the Electric Regulatory Commissions or ERC orders Meralco, the biggest power distributor of electricity in the country, to refund P9.5B to consumers within 6 months.
The implementation of refund will begin the next billing cycle upon the receipt of the ruling according to ERC Chair and CEO Francis Saturnino.
The P9.5 billion refund stems from the adjusted electricity rates for the lapsed period from January to December 2025. The lapsed period refers to the interval following the previous rate update, which may have affected the pricing and revenue of regulated entities, such as Meralco.
During the lapsed period, the consumer was billed using outdated rates—which may no longer reflect the current cost of service—while Meralco awaited new tariff adjustments.
Aside from the refund ordered by the ERC to Meralco, Meralco is also facing the removal of system loss charges from the consumer after the call of President Marcos to drop the system loss charges from electricity bills.
The implementation of refund will begin the next billing cycle upon the receipt of the ruling according to ERC Chair and CEO Francis Saturnino.
The P9.5 billion refund stems from the adjusted electricity rates for the lapsed period from January to December 2025. The lapsed period refers to the interval following the previous rate update, which may have affected the pricing and revenue of regulated entities, such as Meralco.
During the lapsed period, the consumer was billed using outdated rates—which may no longer reflect the current cost of service—while Meralco awaited new tariff adjustments.
Aside from the refund ordered by the ERC to Meralco, Meralco is also facing the removal of system loss charges from the consumer after the call of President Marcos to drop the system loss charges from electricity bills.
