THE House of Representatives on Tuesday night approved on second reading a bill seeking to renew for another 25 years the legislative franchise of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), with almost four years left before its expiration in 2028.

Through voice voting, lawmakers approved House Bill No. 10926 which is a consolidation of House Bill Nos. 9793 authored by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chair of the committee on ways and means; HB No. 9813 by Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez; and HB No. 10317 filed by Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, chair of the committee on energy.

Salceda sponsored and defended the bill with Parañaque City Rep. Gustavo Tambunting, chair of the committee on legislative franchises, after the House briefly suspended plenary deliberations on Malacañang’s P6.352-trillion proposed national budget for 2025.

“Meralco’s mandates under its current franchise were clear. It has met these mandates; hence, its franchise merits renewal,” Salceda told the plenary in sponsoring the bill. 

The House will go on a six-week break starting today but the measure can be put to a vote for passage on third and final reading when it resumes session next month.

Meralco, the country’s largest power distributor, primarily services the National Capital Region which in turn accounts for more than half of the country’s gross domestic product.

Tambunting, for his part, said Meralco “offers various platforms for addressing electric services, including a mobile app and website, allowing customers to apply for service, track applications, report outages, and make inquiries.”

“Meralco has consistently provided aid to areas outside its franchise affected by natural disasters, sharing expertise and resources with other distribution utilities,” he added.

He also pointed out Meralco has “contributed to the restoration efforts after typhoons such as Pablo in 2012, Yolanda in 2013, Odette and Egay in 2023, among others. During the Covid, Meralco collaborated with COVID-19 interagency task force units to support the establishment of quarantine facilities.”

Sta. Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez has been opposing the early franchise renewal, saying “questionable actions by Meralco have led to high power rates and abuses against consumers.”