Group wants Meralco cited in contempt for defying TRO

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Bayan Muna on Monday asked the Supreme Court to cite the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) in contempt for charging consumers with P4.15 per kilowatt hour despite a restraining order issued by the high court.

In a motion, the group, through Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate, told the high court that Meralco “should show cause why it should not be cited in contempt for charging and collecting from consumers the P4.15 restrained by this Honorable Court in violation of the TRO. Meralco should not have tried to pull a fast one against consumers and now they should pay.”

Meralco admitted that the P4.15 amount restrained by the high court was included in the “total amount due” column for about 434,000 of its consumers last February.

Bayan Muna said 37,000 consumers who received the bill paid the deferred amount.

Petitioners said Meralco’s billing format subverted the restraining order issued by the High Court because the 37,000 consumers who paid the restrained amount were misled.

“Among others that the petitioners and the public may not know of, something that should be expected given the secretive and manipulative transactions that gave rise to the enjoined generation charges, the foregoing developments demand a pro-active stance from this Court and the people at large so the decision in the instant cases will not be rendered moot or worse subverted by some esoteric mumbo-jumbo among the players or gamers in the power industry,” the petitioners stated.

The high court stopped Meralco from implementing the all-time P4.15 per kwh increase in the Meralco bills. Oral arguments were conducted on its legality.

RELATED STORIES

Meralco to be accountable to SC, says militant group

Meralco reports P17-B net income in 2013

Meralco ready to refund excess charges