Tovic Salvador

Line men from an electrical contractor check electric meters at the Divisoria area in Manila on September 12, 2022.  The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines advised of possible power interruptions in Luzon on Monday  due to “forced outage” of 7 power plants and “derated capacities” of 3 more plants, which depleted the Luzon grid by 3,627 megawatts. 


 Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Line men from an electrical contractor check electric meters at the Divisoria area in Manila on September 12, 2022.  The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines advised of possible power interruptions in Luzon on Monday  due to “forced outage” of 7 power plants and “derated capacities” of 3 more plants, which depleted the Luzon grid by 3,627 megawatts. 

 Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Alvin Elchico

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The Energy Regulatory Commission has ordered all private power distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to cease disconnection activities for the whole month of November and December.The order covers Meralco, other private utilities as well as non-profit electric cooperatives. The ERC said this is meant to ease the burden on millions of consumers affected by the series of calamities all over the country.Aside from the no disconnection policy until the end of 2025, consumers of up to 100 kilowatt-hours are also entitled to staggered payments in areas battered by the recent typhoons and earthquakes.Earlier, the Power4people Coalition urged the government to halt any upward price adjustment to ease the burden on millions of Filipinos who were affected by the typhoons. But ERC Chair Nino Juan said that the &#x27;no disconnection&#x27; and staggered payment schemes will also help consumers nationwide.Meralco Spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said the company would comply with the ERC directive and would not issue any disconnection notice for regular bills covering November 4 to December 31.  Zaldarriaga said Meralco also offers a staggered payment scheme for consumers using up to 100 kilowatt-hours.The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc (PHILRECA), which represents 121 Electric cooperatives all over the country, said they would also comply, but are worried about not being able to pay their suppliers. Electric co-ops said they thank the ERC for also ordering power suppliers to allow electric cooperatives to stagger payments for electricity supplied.But PHILRECA also said that if many consumers opt to pay through staggered payments, or not to pay at all, since there is no disconnection, many electric co-ops will not be able to pay suppliers in full, foregoing the discount for paying on time.Another problem for some electric cooperatives is the possibility that many consumers will opt not to pay this November and December, since there is no disconnection anyway.Electric cooperatives are non-profit organizations, unlike private power utilities that are allowed to earn from their operation.But for Meralco, the biggest private power utility, majority of consumers will likely pay in November and December in order to avoid piling up bills that will accumulate and needed to be paid all in January  2026.

The ERC said this is meant to ease the burden on millions of consumers affected by the series of calamities all over the country.

The ERC said this is meant to ease the burden on millions of consumers affected by the series of calamities all over the country.

ERC tells Meralco, cooperatives: Halt disconnections in November, December

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Business

ERC tells Meralco, cooperatives: Halt disconnections in November, December

Alvin Elchico,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 20, 2025 03:55 PM PHT

|

Updated November 21, 2025 12:28 PM PHT

Read More:

ERC

electric bill

electric cooperative

Meralco

power bill

typhoon Tino

typhoon Uwan

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.