By Javier Joe Ismael July 7, 2020
SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go
reiterated his call on the Department of Energy (DoE), the Energy Regulatory
Commission (ERC) and other concerned agencies to look into mounting complaints
on high electricity bills.
“Inuulit ko, dapat pangalagaan ang
interes at kapakanan ng mga ordinaryong Pilipino, lalo na ngayon sa hirap ng
mga tao dahil sa krisis na dulot ng Covid-19 (the interest and welfare of
ordinary Filipinos should be protected, especially now that the people are hard
up due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019),” said Go in his
opening statement during the public hearing of the Senate Energy committee.
“In recent weeks, several posts on
social media regarding the sudden spike of electricity billings have surfaced
and were a hot topic of discussion for many Filipinos, as others too have
experienced the same issue. Marami rin pong lumapit mismo sa opisina ko at
humihingi ng tulong (Several people came to my office asking for help),”
he added.
Go cited the case of Sen. Sherwin
Gatchalian, whose electricity bill spiked to P23,000 for the May to June
reading.
“Meron din pong reporter na
nagreklamo, from his usual bill, P1,500 ay naging P16,000, eh nakakainit nga po
ng ulo (A reporter also complained that his usual bill of P1,500 rose
to P16,000, it really causes a headache),” he shared.
He recalled that on May 23, during
the Joint Congressional Energy Commission hearing, the Manila Electric Co.
(Meralco) assured the public that it would send a written explanation to their
customers on the “bill shock.”
Meralco also came up with a series
of advisories to inform the public how their bills were computed.
But Go lamented that the complaints
did not stop.
“Marami pa rin pong mga reklamo
hanggang sa ngayon, ‘yun po ang palagi nating naririnig, hinggil sa mataas na
electricity bill na natatanggap ng consumers. Kailangan ipaintindi nang maayos
ang pinagbasehan nito. Hanggang ngayon po hirap na hirap pa rin kayong
ipaintindi sa publiko, importanteng masiguro na tama at patas ang aplikasyon
nito para hindi dumagdag sa pinapasan ng ating mga kababayan (Many people
are still complaining. We always hear complaints about the high electricity
bills. There’s a need to properly explain the basis of this,” he said.
“Siguraduhin po natin na naaayon sa
batas ang patakarang sinusunod. At kung may mali, itama dapat nila sa lalong
madaling panahon. Dapat gawan ng corrective measures or adjustments sa billing
kaagad (Guidelines being followed should be in accordance with the law. If
there are flaws, these should be corrected sooner. Corrective measures or
adjustments in the billing has to be made immediately),” he added.
“Now, more than ever, profits should
not be prioritized over the welfare of the general public. The government
should not tolerate any unfair business practices at a time when people’s lives
are at risk,” the senator stressed.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ana Theresia
Hontiveros urged the ERC to study the possible filing of charges against
Meralco for its alleged “anti-consumer” billing practices.
The ERC earlier said it was looking
into allegations of “illogically high” electric bills charged by Meralco during
the lockdown.
“In this time of pandemic, we must
not add to the people’s burden the overpriced and unclear electricity
consumption billing,” Hontiveros said in Filipino.
She added that the ERC should
investigate Meralco’s electricity bills.
“If they violated any ERC order, Meralco
should be immediately charged and penalized for its anti-consumer practices.
Consumers deserve justice for being made to pay exorbitant power charges at a
time when so many have lost their jobs and livelihood,” she said.
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