We seek a congressional inquiry into Meralco’s charges that doubled, tripled, even quadrupled during the May billing, and for the company to be mandated to drop all unnecessary charges on consumers especially at this trying time.

Most of us have not even hurdled our way out of two months of lockdown that disrupted our work and incomes. Millions of Filipinos had - some still don't have - work nor pay.

Yet we are slapped with unjustifiable fees. The experiences range from sheer accumulation of three months of bills even for those with minimum consumption, or average rates increasing, to residents being billed with commercial rates, unused spaces warranting hiked bills too and many other variations in between. Meralco indifferently added to the burden and unbearable stress that consumers carry.

Probe unjust Meralco rates

For us, Meralco's explanations are unacceptable. In the first place, it is unfair to charge consumers pass-on amounts for Meralco's obligation to its suppliers. Secondly, averaging as a basis for billing is unreasonable and grossly and stressfully untransparent. Thirdly, Meralco cannot cite higher power generation cost because there have been no spikes in the global price of oil.

These are on top of pre-COVID concerns about Meralco's overcharging and cross-ownership issues. For decades we have been paying the private-sector-run utility unnecessary charges on distribution, service, and metering, which includes universal charges with stranded costs and stranded debts.

Also, Meralco has the temerity to charge hapless consumers higher rates while it is the one that has been enjoying hefty profits on one hand, earning billions for its owners like the Pangilinans, Gokongweis, and Lopezes even as they earn billions more from their other businesses. Meralco's 2019 profit was a whopping Php23.8 billion, up by some Php1.4 billion from the previous year.

Being the one to set the rules, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) should also be held accountable for instructing Meralco and other distribution utilities to average their bills during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). As the power sector’s regulatory agency, ERC should instead issue a directive to power producers, transmission and distribution utilties to ease the burden on consumers nationwide.

Pre-pandemic, post-pandemic

At the onset of government's COVID-19 measures that disrupted producers' and consumers' activities, SUKI has called on government to mandate zero-billing in all utilities and services; support for our producers from subsidies to facilitation of mobility; beefing up of our health system in terms of equipment, facilities and manpower so that no patient is ever turned away; mandating big sellers to pay suppliers promptly; and ensuring that prizes are frozen.

These calls are all in consideration of the more difficult situation that consumers and small producers face due to the lockdown, a worse place than before the pandemic when they have long been paying the price of privatized utilities and services in terms of soaring fees and insecure supply if at all. Sadly we observe an overwhelmed public health system, insufficient help reaching the most vulnerable sectors, violence and human rights violations marking overall pandemic response. Services being entrusted in the hands of the likes of Meralco, and rushing laws like the PSA amendments that obviously benefit big and foreign businesses no less, do not help.

More than ever, we realize the importance of government regulation and public participation in running utilities and services, and the need to reverse their profit-oriented privatized operation. May our lawmakers and the whole of government heed us. SUKI will continue to amplify the voice of Filipino consumers.