Meralco customers will collectively pay an additional P595 million in system loss underrecoveries, even as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. calls for the charge to be removed from their bills
MANILA, Philippines – The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has allowed the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to collect a net P8.709 billion in previously unrecovered pass-through costs, including P595.05 million related to system loss, over roughly three years.
In a decision released Sunday, August 2, the regulator authorized the collection of P7.30 billion in generation costs, P615.93 million in transmission costs, P595.05 million in system loss costs, and P228.88 million in real property taxes. The four main undderrecoveries will generally be collected over 36 months beginning in the next billing cycle.
For residential customers, the four main recurring adjustments total P0.0803 per kWh, equivalent to about P16.06 for a household consuming 200 kWh. The actual bill impact may be slightly higher or lower depending on the customer’s location and the separate lifeline, senior-citizen and local-franchise-tax adjustments.
The P8.709-billion figure is already a net amount, after larger underrecoveries were offset by small refunds for lifeline and senior-citizen subsidies and local franchise taxes.
