NGCP had no influence on spike in electric bills during quarantine, solon says

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) did not influence the shocking electric bill spike experienced by consumers during the strict enhanced community quarantine, House Deputy Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano told reporters in an interview on Friday.

Paduano based his statement on a discussion with Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Agnes Devanadera during the House Committee on Energy hearing last July 2.

“It’s been going around that NGCP is one of the reasons why there is a spike in electric bills. As of now, it’s very clear. The reply of the ERC chair was categorical that NGCP had nothing to do with it, the spike in electric bills,” Paduano said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Paduano said he was notified by Devanadera that the NGCP’s Interim Maximum Annual Revenue or IMAR, which allegedly impacted electricity rates, did not affect the present electricity bills.

According to Devanader, the IMAR approved by the ERC in February 2020 “does not affect the present electricity rates, meaning it could not have led to the bill shocks.”

/atm