Senator Risa Hontiveros will seek a Senate investigation into erroneous Meralco bills as she pressed regulators to stop power disconnections involving charges that consumers have formally disputed. Hontiveros said the inquiry would examine recent billing errors, the protections currently available to electricity customers and possible changes needed to prevent households from being penalized while complaints remain unresolved.
The senator called on the Energy Regulatory Commission to temporarily prohibit Meralco from disconnecting customers whose billing disputes have legitimate grounds and are still under review.
“Hindi nila kasalanan na mali ang meter reading. Hindi konsyumers ang dapat mag-adjust,” Hontiveros said.
Her appeal followed reports of customers receiving unusually high electricity bills, including a household charged for power consumption despite switching off its circuit breakers before leaving for a vacation.
Meralco later acknowledged that the disputed charge was caused by an incorrect meter reading made by one of its personnel. Hontiveros also questioned the practice of requiring customers to pay contested charges under protest to keep their electricity connected while the utility or the ERC reviews their complaint.
“Kung lehitimo ang dispute sa bill, hindi makatarungan na pilitin silang magbayad muna,” she said, adding that families could use the money for other monthly expenses.
Hontiveros said the ERC must establish a fairer dispute process that does not expose households to disconnection because of possible errors committed by the utility.
Under the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers, customers have the right to accurate meters, refunds for overbilling and the prompt investigation of complaints.
The rules also allow customers to pay disputed bills under protest to maintain continuous electricity service. However, they do not automatically suspend the collection of the contested amount while the complaint is being resolved.
The Magna Carta requires distribution utilities to investigate complaints and provide consumers with a report on the action taken, generally within 15 days when no separate compliance period applies.
