Former Bayan Muna Congressman Carlos Isagani Zarate today demanded an explanation from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) regarding the latest round of ancillary service charges that will further burden Filipino consumers with higher electricity rates.
“This new round of ancillary charges is highly questionable and comes at a time when ordinary Filipino families are already struggling with high power rates. The NGCP must explain why consumers have to shoulder these additional costs that appear to be arbitrary and excessive,” Zarate said.
The former legislator pointed out that the NGCP’s ancillary services, which include regulation, contingency reserves, and reactive power support, have become a convenient mechanism to pass on additional charges to consumers without proper scrutiny.
“Ang tanong: bakit ba hindi malinaw sa publiko kung paano kinakalkula ang mga charges na ito? Dapat magkaroon ng komprehensibong audit ng mga singiling ito ng NGCP dahil tila napakadali nilang magdagdag ng mga bayarin sa kuryente ng mamamayan,” Zarate emphasized.
[“The question is: why isn’t there transparency in how these charges are calculated? There should be a comprehensive audit of these NGCP charges because it seems too easy for them to add costs to people’s electricity bills.”]
Zarate called on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to conduct an immediate investigation and review of these ancillary charges. He also urged Congress to exercise its oversight functions to protect consumers from what he described as “questionable pass-on charges.”
“We demand full transparency from NGCP. Hindi pwedeng automatic pass-on na lang nang automatic pass-on ang mga charges na ito sa consumers. The public deserves to know the basis for these increases and whether they are truly justified. It would be better indeed if the NGCP is nationalized,” Zarate concluded.#
