Meralco has stepped up to clarify and counter misleading statements circulating on social media regarding claims of “additional” charges in electricity bills, emphasizing that these are pass-through costs mandated by government.
In a statement, the power distributor highlighted that these charges do not go to distribution utilities like Meralco contrary to claims on social media.
“The electricity bills detail components and charges in a transparent manner,” clarified Meralco Vice President for Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga.
“These charges include mandated cross subsidies including taxes, which are remitted to the government through the relevant agencies. In addition, these are implemented by all distribution utilities and electric cooperatives and are not unique to Meralco,” he added.
Zaldarriaga was referring to subsidies such as the Senior Citizens discount, Lifeline Rate discount to 4Ps beneficiaries, Feed-in Tariff Allowance, and Green Energy Auction Allowance.
“I wish to clarify that these are not company-imposed fees but are mandated designed to support vulnerable sectors and accelerate the country’s transition to cleaner energy,” he said.
Zaldarriaga emphasized that all bill components are itemized to give customers a clear view of where their payments go.
He also reiterated its compliance with regulatory orders on refunds, which are also reflected as a separate line item in customers’ bills and are implemented in accordance with approved timelines by the regulator.
Meralco encouraged customers with questions about their bills to reach out through its customer service touchpoints for clarification and assistance.
