The title is The Evolution of Congress Renewing Meralco's Franchise

The Evolution of Congress Renewing Meralco's Franchise

In a recent development, the Philippine Senate has renewed the franchise of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) for another 25 years, with an overwhelming vote of 18-1-0 in favor of House Bill 10926. This significant milestone marks a notable evolution in Congress and underscores the importance of ensuring reliable electricity services for millions of Filipinos.

A Senate Divided

Sen. Risa Hontiveros was the sole dissenter, casting a lone vote against the franchise renewal due to Meralco's history of failing to meet its obligations to serve consumers. She emphasized that before considering a new franchise, Meralco should be held accountable for its past overcollections and provide proper refunds to customers.

A Call for Accountability

Hontiveros stressed the need for strengthened consumer protections and guidelines in law to ensure accountability, even when regulatory agencies fail or refuse to act. We should not reward Meralco's misdeeds with a brand new legislative franchise, she said. They should first return the billions they over-collected from the people.

Business Support

In contrast, Sen. Joel Villanueva filed Senate Bill 2824 to grant Meralco a fresh 25-year authority to operate. He highlighted Meralco's critical role in ensuring reliable electricity services for millions of homes and businesses.

Industry Backing

The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) and four foreign chambers of commerce – the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines Inc., and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines – also supported the franchise renewal. They argued that Meralco has long been a partner in our nation's progress and should continue to meet the needs of Filipinos while preparing for future challenges and opportunities.

A New Chapter

As we move forward, it is essential to strike a balance between ensuring reliable electricity services and protecting consumers from overcollections. The evolution of Congress continues, and this development marks an important step towards creating a more accountable and consumer-centric energy sector in the Philippines.

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Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.