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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider ERC clears ₱31-billion Meralco rate hike

ERC clears ₱31-billion Meralco rate hike

Published Jan 27, 2026 04:02 pm
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has authorized Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and four power generation partners to recover ₱31.34 billion in costs, a move set to keep electricity rates elevated for millions of households starting this March.
According to ERC Chairperson Francis Saturnino Juan on Tuesday, Jan. 27, the regulator has authorized Meralco and its power generation partners, Phinma Energy Corp. (PHINMA), South Premiere Power Corp. (SPPC), Sual Power Inc. (SPI), and Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) to recover ₱31.34 billion due to various changes in circumstances (CIC).
This would mean Meralco consumers may see a ₱0.2816 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) impact on their electricity bills effective March 2026.
“Despite the PhP0.28/kwh rate impact, which we achieved by stretching the recovery periods for all these adjustments, we are still anticipating that the overall net effect on Meralco’s rates of the CIC adjustments will be minimal or none at all,” Juan explained.
The ERC chair said that Meralco has been implementing an earlier CIC rate of ₱0.28/kWh, scheduled from September 2025 to February this year. The next adjustment will take effect in March.
These new charges will be imposed monthly until the full recoverable amount is paid.
Meralco and its partners sought to reclaim charges related to the CIC instances, as SPI applied for ₱13.3 billion, SPPC ₱15.8 billion, and PHINMA ₱1.75 billion.
As of January, Meralco’s overall rate stood at ₱12.9508/kWh, down from ₱13.1145/kWh. This downward adjustment was caused by lower transmission and generation charges.
Other electric cooperatives, including Nueva Ecija II (NEECO II-AREA 2) and Masinloc Power Partners (MPPCL), requested ₱1.76 billion for recovery over 48 months, while La Union Electric Cooperative (LUECO) sought ₱1.77 billion with MPPCL over the same period.
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