Manila: Meralco customers questioning unusually high electricity bills should not lose power while their complaints are being investigated, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Friday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Hontiveros called on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to impose a temporary disconnection freeze for consumers with legitimate billing disputes, particularly those involving alleged erroneous meter readings.
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 (It is not their fault that the meter reading was wrong. Consumers should not be the ones forced to adjust),' she stated.
The proposal followed complaints from households that received unusually high electricity bills, including one family that was charged for electricity consumption despite having switched off the circuit breakers while away on vacation. Meralco later acknowledged that the bill resulted from a meter reader's error.
Under the current process, consumers contesting their bills are advised to pay the disputed amount under protest to avoid disconnection while complaints are being resolved. Hontiveros said the arrangement unfairly shifts the burden of a possible utility error to consumers before their complaints have even been decided.
'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 (If the billing dispute is legitimate, it is unfair to force consumers to pay first. They could have used that money for other household needs for that month),' she remarked.
The Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers guarantees the right to accurate metering and allows customers to challenge erroneous bills, but it does not expressly prohibit the collection of disputed charges or the disconnection of service while a complaint is pending. Hontiveros emphasized the need for the ERC to establish a faster and fairer process for resolving billing disputes without putting consumers at risk of losing electricity.
She announced plans to file a resolution directing the Senate Committee on Energy to investigate the reported cases of erroneous meter readings, review existing consumer protection mechanisms, and identify legislative reforms to prevent unjust billing practices.
