(FILE) Electric meters along the street in Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City on March 8, 2019. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines —After a consumer group slammed the increasing price of electricity, MPower – the Local Retail Electricity Supplier (RES) of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) – defended its rate hike as a response to the “unprecedented” global spike in fuel costs.
In a statement issued Friday, MPower noted the “higher than usual” increase in the coal and fuel prices triggered its implementation of a Fuel Cost Recovery Adjustment (FCRA), a pass-through charge paid to assure a continuous supply of electricity to its consumers.
MPower, in an effort to cushion the impact of the FCRA, added that it also introduced alternative options to its electricity end-users, including an installment agreement for payments.
The United Filipino Consumers and Commuters on Thursday decried MPower’s rate increase stressing its disadvantageous effects on consumers already burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The consumer group also urged the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to explore means to lower power rates in the country.