Meralco customers may still pay higher electricity bills this May despite a slight rate cut, as heavier summer consumption can wipe out the small reduction.
The Manila Electric Company announced on May 13, 2026 that its overall residential rate decreased by ₱0.0151 per kilowatt-hour, bringing the May rate to ₱14.3345 per kWh from ₱14.3496 per kWh in April. For a typical household consuming 200 kWh, the adjustment means a decrease of about ₱3.02 for the month.
Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said customers may benefit from relatively stable rates in May, but actual bills can still rise depending on electricity use.
“While our customers stand to benefit from relatively stable rates this May, we would like to advise our customers that the bills that they will receive may still go up depending on their actual consumption, which usually increases during the summer months,” Zaldarriaga said.
The lower rate was helped by regulatory relief. Meralco said the Energy Regulatory Commission directed the company to accelerate its remaining ₱14.2-billion refund to consumers over 12 months instead of the original remaining period of two years, raising the residential refund rate to ₱0.4278 per kWh from ₱0.2024 per kWh.
Meralco also cited the ERC’s suspension of the ₱0.0371 per kWh Green Energy Auction Allowance from May to June 2026, partial consumer benefit from the value-added tax exemption for power generated using indigenous natural gas under Republic Act No. 12120, and a ₱0.0493 per kWh drop in residential transmission charges.
Still, generation costs rose to ₱8.7942 per kWh in May from ₱8.3864 per kWh in April. Meralco said this was driven by higher Wholesale Electricity Spot Market charges, including a ₱7.7239 per kWh increase in the line rental component, and higher charges from the Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo gas plants of First Gas/Prime CoreGen due to higher fuel costs and the peso’s depreciation.
For households, the warning is simple. The rate per kWh is slightly lower, but using more electricity during the dry season can still push the final bill higher.
