Customers of the Manila Electric Co. (MERALCO) experienced delays in issuing July electricity bills as the distribution company sought guidance from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for its rates this month.
“We again appeal for the understanding of our customers over the delayed bills as we sought guidance from the ERC on the implementation of this month’s rate adjustment. Rest assured that MERALCO will adjust the due dates to give our customers enough time to settle their bills,” said MERALCO Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga.
Following this delay, MERALCO noted that the due date for the July bill will also be adjusted nine (9) days after the bill date, to give customers enough time to settle their bills.
Earlier, MERALCO announced a Php 2.15 per kilowatt hour (kWh) increase in its overall rates for July.
This increase could result in a Php 430 increase for a 200 kWh household, a Php 860 increase for a 400 kWh household, and a Php 1720 increase for an 800 kWh household.
The significant increase is due to higher generation charges from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and power supply agreements (PSAs). Furthermore, this includes the deferred charges from the June billing, as ordered by the ERC.
For customers under an auto-payment scheme, MERALCO assured them that payments will only be charged from their accounts after the bill has been generated.
MERALCO has begun distributing the July bills to customers on Sunday, July 14.
