MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 27 APRIL 2026 — The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has addressed confusion and countered misleading claims circulating on social media about electricity bill charges, as it intensified efforts to empower consumers with accurate, accessible, and verifiable information.
Electricity bills clearly show a breakdown of charges, allowing customers to see exactly where their monthly payments go.
“Meralco, just like other electricity distributors across the country, operate under strict regulatory oversight that ensures all charges are lawful, transparent, and properly vetted. Every line item in your electricity bill has been approved before they are reflected and implemented,” Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said.
These include public policy charges like the Senior Citizen subsidy, Lifeline Rate subsidy and Universal Charge, which support programs for the vulnerable sectors of the society and other government projects; as well as the Feed-in Tariff Allowance and Green Energy Auction Allowance which are paid by all electricity end-users to accelerate the country’s transition to clean energy. All these charges are covered by existing laws and regulations.
“These mandated charges are remitted to the government through the relevant agencies. To reiterate, these are not new charges and they are not exclusive to Meralco as these are implemented by all distribution utilities and electric cooperatives in the country,” Zaldarriaga said.
Just like other pass-through charges like generation and transmission costs and taxes, Meralco and other distributors do not earn from these pass-through charges.
“We act solely as collection agents for these costs. These do not form part of our revenues in any way,” Zaldarriaga emphasized. “Again, we are highly regulated, with all charges in electricity bills subject to rigorous review and regulatory clearance prior to implementation.”
In terms of Meralco’s own distribution charge, the company said this has not moved since its reduction in 2022.
Amid the spread of misinformation particularly on social media, Meralco said it will continue to actively provide clear, factual, and timely information to help customers better understand their electricity bills.
“We will not cease our efforts to empower consumers with the right information. We put prime importance to transparency and accountability and I would like to assure our customers that they can reach out to us any time through our various customer touch points,” Zaldarriaga concluded.
For concerns, customers can report using the My Meralco app or through Meralco’s official social media accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/meralco) and X formerly Twitter (@meralco). They may also text their concerns to 0920-9716211 or 0917-5516211 or contact the Meralco Hotline at 16211. Other relevant customer information may also be accessed through the company’s official website at www.meralco.com.ph.
