ERC tells 10 electricity coops to refund consumers, assures cushioned impact of rate hikes

The Energy Regulatory Commission has ordered 10 electricity cooperatives serving Luzon areas outside the Meralco franchise zone to refund to their customers the amount collected for higher charges which Meralco was hauled to the Supreme Court for.

Still in effect is the high court's temporary restraining order (TRO) that sought to prevent Meralco from collecting the higher November electricity cost charged in the distributor's December electricity bills. 

However, some Meralco consumers later paid the higher rate after they got bills indicating the December increase as a deferred charge. Meralco said it will refund the customers who paid the TRO-frozen rate hike. But some the petitioners who asked the high court to freeze the rate hike said Meralco should be liable for contempt of court for violating the TRO.

In a report on GMA News' newscasts “24 Oras”, “Saksi” and “State of the Nation”, ERC spokesperson Atty. Floresinda Baldo-Digal said Meralco and the 10 Luzon electricity cooperatives will have to comply with the much lower, recomputed rate hike that factors in the market failure that led to the higher generation charges last November.

The ERC has yet to promulgate the recomputed lower rate.



Atty. Baldo-Digal also said the ERC will take the needed measures to cushion the combined effects of seasonally high power rates in summer and the charges last November, December and January.

Meralco has proposed to spread out the higher charges over several months to lessen the financial impact on its customers. The power distributor also reminded its customers to conserve electricity during the hot summer months.

The ERC spokesperson said there will be some lag time before the higher summer rates will be reflected in the consumers' electricity bills. — with Rie Takumi/ELR, GMA News