Meralco Assures No Disconnection Amid High Bill Complaints

Customers with unpaid electricity bills from May to July will not face service disconnection, according to the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). Even after July, Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said customers with pending billing concerns will not be disconnected while their cases are under investigation. “Rest assured that we have been diligently reviewing and resolving every customer concern brought to our attention,” Zaldarriaga told reporters yesterday. The assurance comes amid a wave of billing complaints that have circulated on social media in recent weeks, with Meralco facing mounting criticism from consumers over “unusually high” power bills. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) earlier ordered a nationwide suspension of electricity disconnections for the May to July 2026 billing periods amid the ongoing Middle East war. The ERC also directed all power distribution utilities like Meralco to implement staggered or deferred payment schemes. For accounts that have already been disconnected, but have pending complaints, the ERC said customers need only pay 10 percent of the disputed amount to have their electricity service restored. But this did not sit well with Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who argued that consumers who were allegedly erroneously billed “should not be forced to pay disputed charges just to keep their lights on.” “It is not their fault that the meter reading was wrong. Consumers should not be the ones compelled to adjust,” Hontiveros said. This month, Meralco has raised power rates by P0.3428 per kilowatt-hour, bringing the overall rate for households consuming 200 kWh to P14.8261 per kWh. Customers consuming 201 to 400 kWh will pay between P15.33 and P15.46 per kWh, while those using 401 to 800 kWh will be charged at least P15.99 per kWh.