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Workers inspect an electric meter installed above ground in Manila on January 11, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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Electric Meter Reading

Alvin Elchico

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Tuesday that Meralco&#x27;s overall rate in June will be higher than last month&#x27;s due to the series of yellow and red alerts in Luzon.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/5/25/another-power-rate-hike-seen-likely-in-june-1618" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Another power rate hike seen likely in June</a></div>In an interview with Gising Pilipinas, Garin said Meralco was forced to use more expensive power plants when supply in the spot market dwindled during the red alert issued for several hours between May 13-15, 2026.&quot;Dito sa Meralco may increase talaga kasi nagamit ng lahat ng LNG na puwede nilang gamitin na na-maximize natin and the expensive ones, so may impact siya,&quot; said Garin.For the Visayas, despite the continuing yellow alert until Tuesday, Garin said electricity rates are lower due to the absence of line rental, which kicks in every time power is &quot;exported&quot; from Luzon and Mindanao.According to Garin, in a briefing Monday, the thinning electricity reserve in the Visayas will linger due to the unavailability of several coal-fired power plants and power barges.Garin said the government is asking several new power plants to come online earlier than scheduled to boost the supply in the Visayas and even in Luzon so that it can share supply with the Visayas.Garin once again called on consumers to use electricity efficiently in order to lessen demand and save on power expenses.Based on data from the DOE, the agency&#x27;s energy conservation program has resulted in a savings of more than 500 megawatts of consumption, translated to around P200 million slashed on electricity expenses for government agencies.<div> </div><div>WHY MERALCO RATES DIFFER</div>In the Meralco franchise area, some consumers noticed a considerable spike in electricity bills for May.Some consumers complained that their bill doubled or went up thousands of pesos higher compared to April billing.Aside from higher usage, the overall rate also goes up as consumption increases, Meralco explains.For example, a consumer who used around 133 kWh in May is charged around P14.41/kwh while another consumer who used around 344 kilowatt-hours was charged P15.52/kwh.Meralco explained that the principle is called a socialized structure, and it was approved more than 2 decades ago by the Energy Regulatory Commission.Here&#x27;s the table of the overall rate versus the amount of consumption for May 2026:Consumption                      Overall Rate 101-200 kWh                       P14.3345 per kWh 201-300 kWh                      P14.6438 per kWh 301-400 kWh                      P14.9532 per kWh 401-500 kWh and above    P15.5154 per kWh Meralco Spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga also advised consumers to take note of or list down the readings of their meter every week to monitor consumption.&quot;It gives you a sense of trying to manage your consumption kasi kung di mo titingnan kung ano na ang iyong nagigjng kunsjmo then the tendency talaga of some di ko naman nilalahat is to just consuming,&quot; Zaldarriaga said.While some consumers are meticulous in recording the readings every week or even daily to monitor consumption, many consumers would rather wait for the actual bill every month and just complain on social media when the charge spikes way beyond expectation.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said that Meralco's overall rate in June will be higher than last month's due to the series of yellow and red alerts in Luzon.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said that Meralco's overall rate in June will be higher than last month's due to the series of yellow and red alerts in Luzon.

DOE confirms spike in Meralco June rate due to recent series of red, yellow alerts

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DOE confirms spike in Meralco June rate due to recent series of red, yellow alerts

Alvin Elchico,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 02, 2026 07:14 PM PHT

Read More:

Meralco

electricity

kuryente

electric bill

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