ERC to order Meralco to issue corrected billing anew, give refund to customers

The Energy Regulatory Commission is set to issue an order on Wednesday for Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to issue a new billing and refund overpayments after the power distributor admitted it had failed to indicate in the May bill the consumers’ estimated power consumption for March and April.

“Aba, Mr. Meralco, i-review mo computation ngayon [na] nakita mo na may pagkakamali. Bigyan mo ng corrected billing ang ating mga consumers. ‘Yan ang kautusan na lalabas ngayon mula sa ERC,” ERC chairperson Agnes Davanadera said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

“Ang ilalabas ng ERC ay number one, i-correct ninyo itong mga billings na ito at ito ang pinakamaganda, mag-refund kayo sa overpayments,” Devanadera said.

Reached for their comments, Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said: “Sinisiguro po ng Meralco na kung ano lamang pong nakonsumo ng aming customers ang babayaran nila, walang labis, walang kulang.”

“Susulat din po kami sa lahat ng mga customer namin na apektadong May bill upang magbigay linaw sa kanilang mga individual accounts,” he added.

In May, the ERC has ordered power distributors, including Meralco, to issue a new billing reflecting the actual consumption and corresponding amount due, not later than June 8, except when actual reading is not possible due to community quarantine implementation. 

The ERC is issuing another order for Meralco to issue new billing after the power distributor, during the Senate committee on energy hearing on Monday, admitted it failed to clarify to its customers what is actual and what is the estimated portions of their May billings. 

“There has been basically a failure on our part to clarify to our customers what is actual and what is estimated. I wish to apologize to you and all our similarly situated customers,” Meralco president and CEO Ray Espinosa said during the Senate hearing.

“In order to address this particular issue clearly, I believe it is necessary now for us in Meralco to send each of our customers falling within this case a separate clarificatory letter that shows exactly what was the previous reading as of February and what was the reading in May if that was the date in which their meters were read or in June if that was the case,” Espinosa said.

“And explain to them clearly now that the estimated consumptions in March and April or in some cases in May, have actually been accounted for and that they are not being billed in addition to what they have actually consumed,” he added

Espinosa said he will order the release of such letters as soon as possible and added that he targets to do so within 30 days.

Devanadera lauded Meralco for admitting its lapses.

“We appreciate that no less than the president of Meralco Atty. Ray Espinosa... inamin niya nagkaroon ng problema sa computation ‘yung estimate ng March ng April,” she said.

The ERC chief, however, said Meralco should correct its lapses and issue a corrected billing as the regulatory body has so far received 50,000 consumer complaints concerning their electricity bills.

Meralco has maintained that there was no overcharging in the recent billings, pointing out that the questions being raised to them were due to unclear presentation of information.

Meralco to refund fully-paid billing during ECQ

The power distributor also reiterated that those who already paid in full the bills that were supposed to be covered by the installment scheme have the option to get a refund and revert to staggered payments.

“Kung nabayaran na ninyo ang March 2020, April 2020 at/o May 2020 bill/s ngunit gusto ninyong magbayad ng hulugan, ibabalik ng Meralco ang inyong mga naibayad. Matungo lamang sa aming Business Center at ipakita ang resibo at ang inyong governent-issued ID at authorization kung magpapadala ng representative,” Zaldarriaga said.

“Ang halaga na ibabalik sa inyo ay isasama sa inyong buwanang hulugan,” he added. — RSJ/BM, GMA News