Activist priest in Quezon welcomes P9.5-B Meralco refund; reforms sought

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines — Activist priest Fr. Warren Puno of Quezon province welcomed the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) order directing Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to refund approximately P9.5 billion to consumers, but said the move should not be seen as a sufficient solution to the power sector’s long-standing problems.

“It is a positive step. It shows that the government has mechanisms in place to ensure that the public is not burdened with charges that should not have been imposed,” Puno, director of the Ministry of Ecology of the Diocese of Lucena, said in a statement on Sunday, Aug. 2.

However, Puno questioned why multibillion-peso refunds continue to recur, saying this points to deeper problems in the regulation and billing of electricity rates.

READ: ERC orders Meralco to refund P9.5 billion to consumers