Several electricity consumers in Pangasinan have raised concerns over unexpectedly high power bills in May, with some reporting charges that nearly doubled despite efforts to reduce electricity use during the extreme heat.

Among them is April Manzon who took to social media to express frustration after their monthly electric bill jumped to more than P1,000 between April 19 and May 20, 2026 from the usual P600.

Manzon said the increase came as a surprise because their household appliances are limited and they have already cut back on power consumption.

“Nagulat siyempre, wala kaming ref, syempre nakapatay, tapos wala rin akong TV dahil pinagawa ko. Mag-one year na kasi walang piyesa ’yung TV ko, hindi nagagamit. Bale electric fan at clip fan lang ang gumagana, tapos biglang tumaas ang bill namin. ’Yung pinsan ng asawa ko dati P1,200 to P1,300 tapos naging P10,000,” Manzon said.

Another consumer, Jessa Porbile from Barangay Lanas in Mangaldan, said her electricity bill also increased by nearly P300 this month as rising temperatures forced her family to use electric fans more often.

“Dati hindi ko na sini-switch ang electric fan pero ngayon maghapon sa sobrang init kasi,” Porbile said.

VERIFICATION

Following complaints circulating online, the Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (CENPELCO) said it has started verification and validation based on consumers’ historical power consumption records.

CENPELCO General Manager, Engr. Rodrigo Corpuz, said some of the validated accounts showed actual increases in electricity usage, which resulted in higher bills.

“’Yung mga nagkaroon ng pag-increase, ’yung halos doble sinasabi kasi mayroong posting sa Facebook, sa social media, tsini-check na namin talaga, bini-verify na namin,” Corpuz said.

However, Corpuz admitted that some cases involved meter-reading errors that caused unusually high charges. He said the cooperative immediately corrects such mistakes before collecting payment.

“Hindi naman ito pababayaran sa mga consumer kundi kailangang i-rectify muna natin bago bayaran,” he said.

CENPELCO also clarified that while generation charges increased by 20 centavos from April to May, the adjustment had minimal effect on overall electricity rates because transmission charges declined during the same period.

The cooperative maintained that, aside from isolated meter-reading errors, increased electricity consumption due to the hot weather remains the primary reason behind higher electric bills.

According to CENPELCO, higher demand for cooling appliances during extreme heat is common during the summer season and often leads to increased household power consumption.