A number of non-government organizations on Tuesday appealed to House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco to act against the Manila Electric Co., which will commence on Oct. 30 the disconnection of households who were unable to pay their bills during the Enhanced Community Quarantine period.
In a joint statement, the Meralco household consumers, together with the Power for People Coalition (P4P), Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), and Sanlakas on Tuesday called on Cayetano and Velasco, who is the current chairman of the House committee on energy, to take action as the no-disconnection deadline for “bill shock” loomed closer.
“We have heard Cayetano and Velasco talk about so many things in their jockeying for the speakership, even their birthdays, but we have yet to hear from them talk about what they will do for the thousands of households unable to pay their massive Meralco bills from the bill shock period. Despite the hearings, consumers are still waiting for concrete action from Congress,” said Gerry Arances, P4P Convenor.
He added: “There is a looming crisis of much of Metro Manila going dark when classes are online and when most people are forced to work from their homes. We ask Congress, as our elected representatives, to make this their priority.”
The groups made the appeal during a press conference, where the groups presented their call for a moratorium on bills incurred during the ECQ
period, and their online petition called #TigilBayad, which they will present to Congress and the Energy Regulatory Commission.
“Meralco has nothing to lose if they extend payment of our dues. But for us, if we don’t have electricity, we won’t be able to study, work and, more so, pay our bills. We’re just asking for reasonable billing dues and enough time to pay for it,” said Nimfa Cachila of the Bayabas Village Neighborhood Association in Nangka, Marikina.
Meralco bills during the ECQ earned the ire of almost all stakeholders, prompting a hearing in the House of Representatives on the matter, alongside hearings in the Senate.
Ian Rivera, PMCJ National Coordinator, said while consumers are still waiting for concrete action from Congress, what needs to be emphasized in the Meralco Bill shock is that expensive electricity rates are sourced out from seven coal-fired power plants with power supply agreements that passed through ERC.
“There is a problem with the opaque pricing mechanism on how ERC and Meralco came out with the generation rates. Obviously, there is no truth to what they, Meralco, and other generation companies say that coal is cheap. It has never been cheap. It is costly, deadly, and dirty. If we allow these plants to operate, a great amount of GHG emission from the total 3,219 MW will further mess up the climate,” said Rivera.
“We challenge Speaker Cayetano and House Energy Committee chairman Velasco that these 7 PSAs be investigated on the grounds of abetting the bill shock and climate harm. We demand to ERC to reveal to Meralco consumers why these contracts are not open to consumer scrutiny. These seven PSA contracts of Meralco should be investigated.”
The groups called for fair electricity rates, a more flexible payment scheme, a return of all pending refunds, reforms in Meralco billing practices, and an independent audit of the distribution utility to ascertain the actual fair burden consumers must bear during the recession.
Sanlakas secretary general Aaron Pedrosa said the “intramurals over who should be the Speaker of the House is casting a long shadow over the plight of Meralco consumers who will bear the yoke of its sky-high power costs. What is relevant to electric consumers is not who holds power in the House but how Congress can ensure immediate relief to millions in the time of COVID.”
“They [Cayetano and Velasco] bicker over their October 14 power sharing deadline, while families worry about being buried neck deep in Meralco’s Bill shock after October 31. Tama na, sobra na!” he added.
