SENATE Majority Leader Francis Tolentino criticized the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for its apparent inefficiency in managing power rate resets.
Tolentino cited the ERC’s handling of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) rate reset process.
He said the commission had not taken action on Meralco’s case for nearly a decade. The ERC granted Meralco’s request to withdraw its rate reset application on Oct. 30, after its last rate reset lapsed in 2015.
“It’s troubling that the ERC, under past and present leaderships, has failed to tackle this issue. Why has it taken so long for them to act on the long overdue rate reset process? It should have taken action before July 2022 but allowed the issue to drag on. In short, they were caught napping,” Tolentino said.
He said that while the ERC was crucial in upholding consumer welfare, it failed to provide a proper and timely rate review due to a lack of rules for setting the distribution wheeling rates.
“As a government agency, the ERC must be vigilant and proactive in safeguarding public interests. They cannot afford to be complacent while consumers are exposed to its inefficiencies and exploitation from the power sector,” Tolentino said.
He called for the ERC to take immediate action to ensure accountability and transparency in its operations.
“Our fellow Filipinos worked hard to earn each peso to make ends meet. The least the ERC can do is to do its job,” he said.
Tolentino also urged the ERC to ensure timely and transparent processes for refunding Meralco customers. The ERC recently ordered Meralco to refund some P987.16 million to its customers for improperly charged fees related to regulatory rate resets.
Some 16 other distribution utilities are expected to return a total of P189.98 million to consumers, bringing the total refund amount to around P1.1777 billion.
The fees were collected despite no actual regulatory reset, with costs covered by the government’s budget.
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