MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Erwin Tulfo has filed Senate Resolution 535 seeking to investigate recurrent electricity bill shocks, aiming to craft a pro-consumer policy in the long run.
Tulfo, who heads the Senate Committee on Energy, cited the complaints from various sectors taking the brunt of sudden increases in electricity bills, complexity of billing statement, inaccuracy of meter readings, and prolonged power interruptions, among others.
“Is the government really powerless here? For instance, if an electric cooperative’s service is awful and the people are fed up with it, are we helpless?” he said in a statement.
“While electric distribution utilities and generation companies are entitled to recover prudent and legitimate costs necessary to maintain reliable electric service and undertake essential capital investments, consumers likewise have the right to fair, transparent, accurate, and reasonable electricity charges and access to timely and effective complaint resolution mechanisms,” he added.
Apart from a thorough investigation, Tulfo’s resolution also seeks a long-term remedy in the form of a pro-consumer policy.
“Our country has the highest electricity rates in Southeast area. We cannot let our countrymen to just accept this, especially with wage rates remaining stagnant,” Tulfo said.
“While I am the Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, we will be proactive in finding solutions. We will find out how to temper these high electricity prices, make it affordable for Filipinos. In this day and age, access to power is a right and not a mere luxury. Every Filipino deserves fair electricity rates,” he added.
Meralco) raised its residential rate by P0.3428 per kilowatt-hour in July, bringing the household rate to P14.8261 per kWh.
For a typical household consuming 200 kWh, this added about P69 to the monthly bill. The rate is about 17 percent higher than in July 2025.
The Visayas grid was placed under red alert for six hours on July 8 after transmission and power plant outages left available supply below projected demand.
In May, the Luzon grid went on red alert for three consecutive days, with rotational outages affecting 1.9 million Meralco customers on May 13 alone.
