Outrageous MERALCO Bills! We are so screwed!

OMG! WE ARE SCREWED BIG TIME!

Filipinos have been warned of the "inevitable" increase in power rates. This is not shocking. Let's face it, we're used to price hikes. Big companies have this notion that we should shoulder the bulk of the taxes that are imposed upon them. They have this warped view that any unfavorable result of a disruption in the market should be shouldered by the consumer. And what do we do, as consumers? We adjust like hell.

There's a food price hike. We eat less.

There's a gas price hike. We walk more.

There's a power hike. We grope in the dark.

Chuvaness shared her outrage when MERALCO billed her Php 41, 902 for March 2010. This is a stroke-inducing report considering her household's average bill is only around Php 21,000. It is NOT a remote case because most of the 251 commenters seem to have been slapped with the same oppressive increase in bills, albeit in varying values. The rich and the poor finally have something in common. This is MERALCO's warped way of forcing equality up our ass.

Upon reading many reports of skyrocketing bills, I knew that I will be facing the same fate. I just wasn't sure what the final numbers will be. The wait is over. Earlier today, I received our Meralco bill and as expected, there was a substantial increase in the total bill.

Summary:

JAN - 2339.80 (274 kwh)

FEB - 2467.70 (264 kwh)

MAR - 2748.20 (266 kwh)

APR - 3867.45 (307 kwh)

I have come to accept that a power hike is inevitable, but what I don't understand is the sharp increase in consumption. MERALCO says it's SUMMER and power consumption is usually high in summer months. This is total bullshit. So, how would they explain the increase in consumption for households whose residents were on vacation for weeks? How would they explain the increase in consumption for households whose residents are at work for at least 10 hours each day and only come home to sleep with lights off and no aircon?

What hurts the most is that we will shoulder additional cost for an increased consumption that we never really enjoyed. You see, we don't use our aircon. I don't have TV. We rarely iron our clothes and laundry is just once a week. I even bring mine to the laundromat. Essentially, we'll be paying 3,867.45 for usage of (3) 12-watts Philips light bulbs, 3 stand fans, and 2 laptops. This is a dagger through my heart.

MERALCO's PR spin is that they are just power distributors and not generators. That doesn't mean anything. That does not take away the fact that their rates are oppressive.

Our theory is that the increase in power rate is accompanied by an increase in consumption REGARDLESS of the actual consumption. According to my dad, "Niyari tayo sa consumption".

This is not just a case of one disgruntled household, we are looking at 4.7 million MERALCO customers who got screwed in the past, are being screwed today, and will be screwed in the future.