Hindi pa nga natatanggap ay kinain na ng power rate hike ang isang araw sa ₱60 wage hike ng minimum wage earners dito sa NCR. 

 

Ayon sa Partido Manggagawa, hindi bababa sa ₱74.8 milyon mula sa 1.1 milyong minimum wage earners sa NCR na dapat tumanggap ng ₱60 wage hike ngayong Hulyo ang mapupunta lamang sa mga may-ari ng power plants dahil sa ₱0.34/kwh na rate hike na inanunsyo ng Meralco. 

 

Pauna lamang ito sa mga susunod pang pagtaas sa presyo ng kuryente dahil nakabinbin din sa Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ang petisyon ng Meralco para sa sariling distribution, supply, and metering (DSM) charge adjustment na nagkakahalaga ng ₱0.99/kWh sa ilalim ng first regulatory period ng 2027-2031na maari umanong desisyunan ng ERC ngayong 3rd Quarter. 

 

“Ang wage hike ay utay-utay pero ang rate power rates hike ay sunod-sunod,” galit na pahayag ni Judy Miranda, Secretary General ng Partido Manggagawa (PM). 

 

Ayon kay Miranda, kung pagsasamahin ay mahigit ₱1.00/kWh ang average na itinaas ng presyo ng kuryente mula Marso. 

 

Sa paliwanag ng PM, ₱74.8 milyon ang mawawalang halaga mula sa 1.1 milyong minimum wage earners dahil ang katumbas ng ₱0.34/kWh sa konsumo na 200 kWh ng tipikal na household sa isang buwan ay ₱68. 

 

“Ibig sabihin, isang araw na minimum wage na kaagad ang nawala sa bagong wage hike ng minimum wage earners sa NCR. Ito pala ang buhay sa Upper Middle-Income Country, mas mabilis ang power hike kaysa sa wage hike,” ayon pa kay Miranda.

 

Nangangamba rin ang PM na masusundan pa ang power rate hikes ng isa pang round at may domino effect ito sa ibang produkto dahil sa bulnerabilidad ng bansa sa price shocks dahil sa dependence nito sa imported na fossil fuel tulad na langis, coal at LNG na siyang gamit sa power plants at transportasyon dahil napakabagal din ng transisyon sa renewable energy.

 

Dagdag dito ang kapalpakan ng EPIRA at pribatisasyon bilang patakaran na ginawang mas makapangyarihan ang mercado kasya kontrol ng gobyerno sa esensyal na mga serbisyo tulada ng kuryente.

 

“Dapat ang UMIC status ay resulta ng reporma, hindi matematikal na kwenta lamang sa yaman na kalakhan ay nasa kamay lang naman ng mga kapitalista, katulad ng mga may-ari ng power firms,” pagwawakas ni Miranda.

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

11 July 2026

One day's wage hike just eaten by power rate hike

Photo from GMANews

The power rate hike has already eaten one day of the ₱60 wage hike that is yet to be received by minimum wage earners in NCR.

 

According to Partido Manggagawa (PM), at least ₱74.8 million, from the 1.1 million minimum wage earners in NCR who should receive a ₱60 wage hike this July, will only go to power plant owners because of the ₱0.34/kwh rate hike announced by Meralco.

 

This is just a preview of the next electricity price increases because Meralco's petition for its own distribution, supply, and metering (DSM) charge adjustment worth ₱0.99/kWh is also pending at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) under the first regulatory period of 2027-2031, which the ERC is said to be able to decide this 3rd Quarter.

 

“The wage hike is gradual but the rate power rates hike is consecutive,” angrily stated Judy Miranda, Secretary General of PM.

 

According to Miranda, if combined, the average electricity price increase since March is more than ₱1.00/kWh.

 

According to the PM, 1.1 million minimum wage earners lost ₱74.8 million because the equivalent of ₱0.34/kWh for a typical household's consumption of 200 kWh in a month is ₱68.

 

“This means that one day of minimum wage has already been lost in the new wage hike for minimum wage earners in the NCR. This is life in an Upper Middle-Income Country, power hikes are faster than wage hikes,” Miranda said.

 

PM also fears that these power rate hikes will be followed by another round and will have a domino effect on other products due to the country's vulnerability to price shocks as it is dependent on imported fossil fuels such as oil, coal and LNG which are used in power plants and transportation because the transition to renewable energy is also very slow.

 

Added to this is the failure of EPIRA and privatization as a policy that made the market more powerful than government control over essential services like electricity.

 

“UMIC status should be the result of reform, not just a mathematical calculation of wealth that is largely in the hands of capitalists, such as the owners of power firms,” Miranda concluded.

 

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

11 July 2026