Power distributor Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced on Friday a slight hike in power rates this June.
In an advisory, Meralco said it will implement an increase of ₱0.42 per kilowatt-hour in its overall rate.
The new price adjustments will bring ₱11.9112 per kWh for a typical household, slightly higher as compared to ₱11.4929 per kWh in May.
Households consuming 200 kWh to 500 kWh shall pay the corresponding increase:
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200kwh - ₱84&nbsp;
</li>
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300kwh - ₱125&nbsp;
</li>
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400kwh - ₱167&nbsp;
</li>
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500kwh - ₱209
</li>
</ul>
In a press briefing, Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga explained that the increase was due to the completion of the last Distribution Rate True-Up (DRTU) adjustment which earlier gave ₱1.8009 per kWh refund for residential customers.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Itong bahagyang pagtaas na ito ay actually na-communicate na namin iyan sa inyo nitong mga nakaraang buwan at I am sure na na-anticipate na sana kasi paulit-ulit po namin itong sinabi na noong nakaraan na asahan na magiging epekto nitong pagtatapos ng implementation ng distribution rate of refund,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
Zaldarriaga said the first DRTU started in March 2021 and ended last December 2022 while the fourth and last DRTU ended in May 2023.&nbsp;

&ldquo;These refunds benefitted Meralco&rsquo;s customers over the past two years as these helped temper increases in electricity at a time of financial distress and uncertainty for many,&rdquo; Meralco Head of Regulatory Management Office Jose Ronald Valles said.

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Meralco to implement power hike in June