Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday, July 10 sought a “no disconnection” policy for consumers who are contesting their electricity bills with Meralco.

“Consumers who were erroneously charged should not be forced to pay disputed charges just to keep their lights on,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“Hindi nila kasalanan na mali ang meter reading. Hindi konsyumers ang dapat mag-adjust (It’s not their fault that the meter reading is incorrect. It is not the consumers who should make the adjustments),” she said.

The senator made the call in light of a growing number of complaints from consumers who claimed they received unusually high electricity bills because of incorrect meter readings.

She cited a case of one household that was billed for electricity consumption even though its circuit breakers had been switched off while the family was away on vacation.

Meralco later acknowledged that the bill resulted from a meter reader’s error. But the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) advised that those who contest their bills must still pay under protest to avoid disconnection while their complaints are being investigated.

“Bakit parang inuuna pa ang interes ng Meralco? Hindi naman siguro sila malulugi sa unpaid contested bills. Pero ang mga kababayan natin na di handa sa biglang lobo ng babayaran ay lalong mahihirapang magbudget (Why does it seem like Meralco’s interests are being prioritized? They likely won’t suffer a loss from unpaid, contested bills. But our fellow citizens, who are unprepared for the sudden ballooning of their bills, will find it even harder to manage their budgets),” the senator pointed out.

Hontiveros said it is unfair to force consumers to pay upfront especially if their billing dispute is legitimate.

“They could have used the money for other needs that month (Pwede pa sana nilang magamit ang pera sa iba pang pangangailangan sa buwan na iyan),” the lawmaker added.

Hontiveros noted that while the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers guarantees the right to accurate metering and provides consumers with remedies to question erroneous bills, it does not expressly prohibit the collection of disputed amounts or the disconnection of service while a billing dispute remains pending.

“ERC should do something about this. Mandato nila na pangalagaan ang kapakanan ng mga consumers. Dapat tiyakin nila na may mabilis, patas, at epektibong proseso sa pagresolba ng billing disputes, at hindi nalalagay sa alanganin ang mga konsyumer (It is their mandate to safeguard the welfare of consumers. They must ensure there is a swift, fair, and effective process for resolving billing disputes, and that consumers are not placed in a precarious situation),” she said.

She said she will file a Senate resolution directing the Senate Committee on Energy to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the reported cases of erroneous meter readings and billing disputes to determine the extent of the problem and review existing consumer protection mechanisms.