Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Consumers might soon pay higher electricity rates.
This, once the Energy Regulatory Commission approves National Power Corporation’s (Napocor) request to recover an additional P5.9 billion from consumers across the country.
In its petition filed on Tuesday (January 26), Napocor sought for the commission’s go signal to increase its universal charge, which is used to subsidize electrification in far-flung areas in the country.
The company explained that the budget for missionary electrification in 2014 was insufficient, making it spend more to continue its projects that year.
Read: More than 60,000 households to benefit from Pililla Wind Farm
The amount will be divided among all electricity consumers, which will translate to about 8 centavos per kilowatt hour per month. Napocor is expected to recover the deficit over 12 months.
Partylist group Bayan Muna, however, criticized the move to charge consumers with higher power rates. It said that the government should increase allocation for electrification in poor areas rather than subsidize consumption of big corporations.
