Senate to review Meralco performance - Senator Gatchalian

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, vice chairman of the Senate committee on energy, has said that the submission to the Senate of a bill renewing the franchise of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) will be an opportunity to scrutinize the power distributor’s performance.

“My view always is that we have to use this opportunity to review the performance of the grantee. And that's a good way of putting accountability on the grantee,” Gatchalian said.

“So, I will look at the performance of Meralco. The price, for example, since they buy power, and the service, which includes connection, brownouts, speed of repairing lines, etc.,” the senator said.

“For me, I have to look at the performance of Meralco before I can say whether to support it or not.''

House Bill 9813 seeks to extend Meralco’s franchise, which will expire in 2028.

“Typically, the franchise emanates from the House,” Gatchalian said.

“So, we cannot move until they transmit the franchise to the Senate. So, that's how the process works. So far, no one has filed a franchise renewal with the Senate. But in this case, I think we will have to wait for the House to transmit it to us,'' he added.

Consumer groups United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) and People for Power Coalition have earlier expressed concern about the early push to renew Meralco’s franchise, four years ahead of its expiry.

Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriga said that “as a highly regulated entity, Meralco has always been strictly compliant with the laws and regulations governing its franchise.”

"As such, Meralco is also very cognizant of the rules and has always been cooperative with the legal and regulatory procedures that underpin its operations, the franchise renewal process included," Zaldarriaga said.

The Meralco official added that the filing of bills to renew its legislative franchise of Meralco is "a firm validation of the relentless efforts of the power distributor to serve millions of Filipinos."

Renewing Meralco's franchise, Zaldarriga said, would allow the company's growing number of customers to continue enjoying stable and reliable electricity service, which is vital in powering not just households but also industrial and commercial customers that drive the country’s economic progress. —VBL, GMA Integrated News