Militants want refund, interest from Meralco

MANILA, Philippines—Militant groups on Wednesday said the Manila Electric Co.’s (Meralco) planned refund for the electricity it overcharged customers in December and January 2013 should also include interest.

“Not just simple overcharging. Just as when we pawn something, there’s an interest charge,” said Raymond Palatino, chair of Bayan-Metro Manila and spokesman for Power!-Metro Manila at a protest rally in front of the Meralco headquarters in Pasig.

He said there should be an “immediate and pro-poor” refund scheme for Meralco’s 5.3 million customers.

The protest was attended by about 50 members of Gabriela, Strike the Hike Network and Kilusang Mayo Uno, among other groups, who carried placards denouncing Meralco and its high electricity rates.

“Meralco, ganid sa tubo (greedy for profits),” one placard read. Another said: “No to power rate hikes!”

But when asked how much interest consumers should be given, apart from the surcharges, Palatino said: “We’re not there yet.”

He said Meralco should be sanctioned for its “abuse of power” when it reportedly colluded with other institutions to push up electricity rates, to serve as a lesson to other public utilities.

Palatino claimed that Meralco made P5 billion from November to December 2013.