CA orders ERC chair to recuse due to bias in NGCP rate reset case

The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta to recuse herself from proceedings regarding National Grid Corporation of the Philippines' (NGCP) rate reset application.

In a 22-page decision dated April 30, 2025, the CA's Special 11th Division granted NGCP’s motion for inhibition, citing Dimalanta's evident bias and partiality against NGCP.

The court ruled that Dimalanta had already prejudged the rate reset application before it was filed, based on her public statements suggesting a reduction in transmission charges made even prior to the filing of the application.

ERC denied NGCP’s urgent motion to suspend proceedings in February 2023 for lack of merit and failed to act on multiple motions for reconsideration and suspension thereafter.

The CA decision emphasized that Dimalanta's premature public statements deprived NGCP of a fair and impartial administrative process, as she had preconceived results before formal hearings took place.

Dimalanta told ABS-CBN News Online that she has yet to receive a copy of the ruling.