Lapu-Lapu City Council invites MECO exec to shed light on power rate increase

This was confirmed by Engineer Gilbert Pagobo, senior vice president and general manager of MECO, after the firm received an invitation from the city council.| Futch Anthony Inso

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — A representative of the Mactan Electric Company (MECO) will appear before the Lapu-Lapu City Council on September 1, 2022, so that he can explain the increase of electric rates of the power distribution firm.

This was confirmed by Engineer Gilbert Pagobo, senior vice president and general manager of MECO, after the firm received an invitation from the city council.

Earlier, an online petition to investigate MECO for the unjust billing of its consumers was created by the firm’s consumers. Some 1,256 consumers have already signed the petition.

Petition

Among those, who urged consumers to sign the petition was councilor Annabeth Cuizon. This was after she observed a sudden increase in her family’s electric bill that had reached P37,772.71.

According to the petition, most of the consumer’s bills went up to two times or even five times higher compared to their previous bills.

“The reports also include their worst customer service where their frontliners do not have good manners in handling the issue of consumers. Other reports also mention their personnel, who read the household’s electric meter, do not encode the exact reading as it is not the exact figure that reflects on the bill,” the online petition states.

MECO, electric bills

Pagobo, however, clarified that MECO did not overcharge their consumers’ electric bills.

He also welcomed the invitation of the Lapu-Lapu city council because MECO would be given a chance to clarify and answer all questions and queries regarding the increase of the power distribution firm’s consumers’ electric bills.

“Kanang kuan, naghatag gyud ko og mga data nga makita nila nga ang kanang dili gyud tawn si MECO maoy nagpataas sa kuryente kung dili ang kanang ato gyung sitwasyon karon. Maoy hinungdan nga nitaas ang atong kuryente,” Pagobo said.

(I am just saying, I have given data that they can see, that MECO is not the cause of the electric rate increase but our situation now. That is why the electric rates went up.)

Generation charge

MECO also posted on their Facebook page information materials that explained the increase of their consumers’ electric bills.

He said that there was a movement on the generation charge rate, which he said was an effect of the increase on the price of fuel and the decline of the value of peso in the dollar exchange.

He said that currently, their total charge for electric bills was at P13.85 per kilowatt hour. However, Pagobo explained that this was still lower compared to other power distribution firms.

Pagobo said that they could not overcharge their consumers, especially that they were being regulated.

“Kay dako gyud kaayo mi’g tulobagon sa among regulator nga kanang mag-overcharge. Bisan singko sentimos, bisag uno centavo nga makit-an sa among regulator nga naay nisobra, ipauli gyud na,” he added.

(Because it would be a big liability for us from our regulator if we overcharge. Even 5 centavos, even one centavo that the regulator would see that we exceeded, the regulator would return it.)

Pagobo appealed to the public not to speculate or make baseless accusations against them on the issue.

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