Lawmakers criticize NGCP for charging consumers for unfinished projects

Lawmakers in the Philippines have criticized the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for passing costs of unfinished or unused capital expenditure projects onto consumers.

The lawmakers, including Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting and Mandaluyong Rep. Rodante Jalandoni, questioned NGCP's practice of charging customers for projects that are not yet operational.

They argued that it is unfair to ask consumers to pay for services that have not been provided or are not yet in use.

NGCP Assistant Vice President Cynthia Alabanza defended the company's actions, stating that they followed previous rules and were allowed by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to collect costs on an 'as spent basis'.

However, ERC Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said this approach cannot be applied in this case as the actual cost of projects and details are already known.

The lawmakers also questioned NGCP's profitability given its large income and urged the company to reconsider its billing practices.