Most electric cooperatives have lower power rates than Meralco—NEA

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) lauded electric cooperatives for lowering power costs for their member-consumers.

NEA administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said 90 out of 121 electric cooperatives, or 74 percent, had a lower average residential rate than Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) between January 2024 and June 2025.

In the first half of 2025, 101 out of 121 cooperatives (83 percent) had a lower average residential rate than Meralco’s 12.8425 pesos per kilowatt-hour, he said.

Almeda also commended all 121 cooperatives in the Philippines for their “continued support and unwavering dedication in safeguarding the gains of rural electrification.”

The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. (PHILRECA) said electric cooperatives are non-stock, non-profit organizations that do not have the same economies of scale or access to private funding as other distribution utilities.

“Still, they continue to provide services which are way more affordable and reflective of MCOs [member-consumer-owners] welfare and interest,” PHILRECA said.

PHILRECA also commended the NEA’s leadership for its “immediate resolution” of the Siquijor power crisis and for ensuring the affordability of electricity rates.

“We were able to bring back electricity in Siquijor just this morning, at 2 a.m. The additional gensets of Siquijor Island Power Corp. [SIPCOR] have already arrived,” Almeda said.

Almeda said the NEA assures Siquijor’s member-consumer-owners there is now “enough power supply installed on the island.”

He said the prolonged outages of 18 to 20 hours were “beyond the purview of the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative Inc. [PROSIELCO].”

“PROSIELCO has nothing to do with the problem; actually, they have been overextending their systems to the generation company, which is SIPCOR,” Almeda said.

He reiterated SIPCOR’s accountability for the recurring power supply shortages, adding, “I believe there is, obviously there is, there is a short delivery of what is expected from them.”

Janeene Depay-Colingan, PHILRECA’s executive director and general manager, cited the importance of transparency and accountability in the electric power industry.

“The association stands united with the National Electrification Administration in ensuring that all generation companies strictly comply with regulatory standards and fulfill their obligations to maintain a continuous and reliable supply of electricity,” Depay-Colingan said.

Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), also known as Republic Act No. 9136, generation companies like SIPCOR are required to ensure a reliable electricity supply and maintain their facilities in accordance with industry standards and regulations from the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.