During intense deliberations that preceded the 2005 enactment of the Expanded Value Added Tax (E-VAT) Law, which also covered oil and electricity, lawmakers defended the measure as a treasury-tightening mechanism; an unpopular but calculated imposition designed to raise massive revenues so it could...
Despite a slow start to energy sales in the first quarter of 2026, Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) expects demand to rebound as the dry season intensifies. According to Meralco Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ronnie L. Aperocho, the El Niño phenomenon could increase energy...
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is seeking regulatory approval to return approximately ₱9 billion to its customers, adding to an existing multi-billion peso refund program aimed at easing the burden of high electricity costs. In an interview, Ronald Valles, Meralco head of regulatory management,...
Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGEN) affirms its continued commitment to strengthening the country’s energy security through a diverse and forward-looking capacity strategy that aligns with evolving national policy directions amid rising global fuel costs and supply uncertainties. As the...
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is keeping the door open for the Sta. Rita natural gas plant to participate in future supply auctions even as its long-term contract with the utility nears its conclusion. Ronald Valles, Meralco senior vice president and head of regulatory management, said First Gas...
The Department of Energy (DOE) expects a stable power supply through May even as the Luzon grid recently teetered on the edge of a shortage, provided the nation’s aging thermal power plants remain operational during the peak of the dry season. Energy Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said on Monday,...
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) customers will receive a reprieve on their electricity bills starting next month after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ordered the utility to accelerate the multibillion-peso refund to insulate households from global energy volatility. In a statement on...
Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. is locking in long-term renewable energy (RE) contracts for its data center operations, moves intended to insulate the company from volatile power costs while meeting the intensifying electricity demands of the digital economy. The telecommunications giant said its...
MPower, the retail electricity supply arm of Manila Electric Co., has finalized an agreement with Rustan Coffee Corp. to provide power to dozens of Starbucks locations in Metro Manila through a government-backed aggregation scheme. The deal consolidates the energy requirements of 60 Starbucks...
As the Malampaya gas field slowly taps out and diplomacy trades hot words for cautious handshakes, the real suspense lies not just in geopolitical compromise, but in whether Recto Bank can finally proceed to well drilling or remain a perpetually well-discussed daydream. The lingering conflict in...
Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) has commenced the initial dispatch of electricity from its Terra Solar development, injecting much-needed capacity into the Philippine grid as the government moves to insulate the domestic economy from volatile global fuel markets. In a statement on Monday, March 30,...
When Atty. Francis Saturnino “Nino” Juan took the helm of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in August 2025, he inherited an agency choked by years of delays. Its credibility was so bruised that power sector stakeholders approached progress not with hope, but with hardened, deliberately...
