MANILA, Philippines — Senators voted to pass on third and final reading the bill renewing the franchise of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) for another 25 years.

At the Senate’s Monday session, House Bill No. 10926 was approved with 18 affirmative votes, one negative, and zero abstention.

Only Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros voted against the third reading passage of the legislation.

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READ: Meralco tells Senate efforts are being made to lower power rates

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In her explanation of the vote delivered following the approval of the measure, the opposition lawmaker said Meralco, throughout the years, failed to abide by its obligations and serve consumers.

“Before even considering a franchise renewal, my view is that Meralco must be made to properly refund its customers for its past overcollections,” said Hontiveros.

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According to the senator, Meralco has volunteered to “initiate refunds with the Energy Regulatory Commission,” admitting that it has “over-charged consumers.”

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But Hontiveros emphasized that this overcollection needs to be addressed first before any further steps are taken.

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“Hindi pwede na mauwi sa move on at limot ang mga pagkakamali at pagkukulang ng Meralco. Tungkulin ng Senado na siguraduhin na hindi na muling malalamangan ang taumbayan (We should not move on and just forget Meralco’s mistakes and shortcomings. It is the duty of the Senate to make sure that the people will never be ignored again,” she said.

The aviation giant gave workers until Friday at midnight to ratify its “best and final offer.”

Hontiveros then emphasized that Meralco should not be rewarded for its misdeed—a few years before its existing franchise expires, adding that it needs to reimburse first the “billions-worth collections” they got from Filipinos.

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