Senator Joel Villanueva is looking to have at least a second reading approval of Meralco’s franchise renewal before the Senate takes a break on Feb. 8.

"Hopefully, I'm looking at before the break, mapasa naman ito (we can pass this) at least on second reading," he said on Thursday, Feb. 16, during the Kapihan sa Senado briefing.

Conservatively speaking, Villanueva said that hopefully, the bill gets approved on second reading next week.

"The further we get, the better as far as I'm concerned being the sponsor of the measure," he said.

Villanueva stated that the coming week would perhaps be the last week of interpellations, debates, and period of amendments for Senate Bill No. 2824. Authored by Villanueva, it seeks to grant Meralco a fresh 25-year authority to operate.

In his sponsorship speech, the lawmaker recognized the distribution utility’s critical role in ensuring the continued delivery of service to millions of homes and businesses.

“Meralco has long been a partner in our nation’s progress, but with that partnership come accountability. This bill ensures that Meralco continues to meet the needs of our people while preparing for the challenges and opportunities of the future,” Villanueva said.

According to the senator, some members of the upper chamber said that they would no longer interpellate and would rather introduce amendments to the bill.

He also mentioned that he sees no major issue that would hinder the bill's approval, stating that his senator-colleagues recognize the importance of the measure's approval.

"Higit sa lahat yung interruption; 'di natin pwedeng ma-interrupt itong serbisyo ng (we cannot interrput the service of) Meralco to 8 million consumers," he added.