MANILA, Philippines – In a narrow 6-5 vote, the Supreme Court upheld a December 2013 rate hike by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) that sought to charge from its consumers P22.64 billion in recovery costs.
It is a decision made after eight years since the rate hike was supposed to be implemented in the November 2013 bill of Meralco consumers. The decision was promulgated August 3, 2021, but uploaded on the Supreme Court website only on Friday, July 1.
According to the estimate of dissenting justice Amy Lazaro Javier, the additional charges could have gone up to an additional P800 on the bill, representing a 61% or P4.15 per kilowatt hour increase. An indefinite temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued by the Court on April 22, 2014.
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8 years later, Meralco wins rate hike case in Supreme Court (rappler.com)