Consumer groups seek CA’s help to stop ERC ruling on Meralco

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MANILA, Philippines — The Power for People Coalition (P4P) filed a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals, questioning the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) order that they believe only increases Meralco’s profit margins.

The petition, filed last Monday, challenged the constitutionality of the ERC order, which allegedly approved the rate without going through the legal rate-setting process and resulted in much lower refunds for consumers.

“For more than a decade now, the ERC has stood idly by while power companies like Meralco gouged consumers with high rates. We have not seen a major decline in Meralco’s distribution rates during this time period. The ERC exists to protect [the] public interest and not Meralco’s bottom line,” said Gerry Arances, P4P Convenor, as quoted in a statement.

READ: CA junks ERC ruling denying Meralco, SMC rate hike

Romeo Butch Junia, one of the petitioners, claimed that the ERC “made its first mistake as a regulatory agency when it allowed Meralco to charge more than it should have. That they allowed this to drag on across the terms of five ERC chairpersons is tantamount to regulatory failure, with Meralco as among the parties benefiting.”

Meanwhile, Ka Leody de Guzman, president of Partido Lakas ng Masa and one of the petitioners, asked about the propriety of chasing after Meralco’s income targets using the pockets of ordinary consumers.

READ: Court rejects SMC move to hike rate in 2019 power deal

“It’s important to lower the electricity prices as soon as possible. Meralco consumers can’t keep suffering every month while Meralco expects to earn P40 billion this year. Workers and ordinary Filipinos are burdened by the excessive charges that make their lives even harder,” he asked.

Furthermore, Sanlakas criticized the alleged inaction of ERC, saying that it needs to be “reminded of its mandate to protect consumers from high electricity prices. There is no place for negligence—or worse, corruption—especially in an industry imbued with public interest.”