Practical Dad

𝟴𝗠 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝟮 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭 𝗔𝗽𝗼

Hindi na bata si Lola nang magsimula siya.
Biyuda na siya noon mag-isa, tahimik, pero malinaw ang isang bagay sa isip niya.

Hindi siya nagsimula ng malaki.

Hindi rin niya alam kung gaano katagal pa siya.

Pero alam niya kung ano ang ayaw niyang mangyari:

yung maiiwan ang pamilya niya na walang sandalan.

Kaya nag-decide siya.

Dahan-dahan.
Consistent.
Walang biglaang galaw pero tuloy-tuloy na proteksyon.

Habang tumatagal, hindi man niya nakikita agad ang resulta…
patuloy lang siya.

Hanggang sa dumating ang araw na wala na siya.

Pero ang iniwan niya, hindi lungkot lang.

₱8M worth of claims.
Para sa 2 anak niya.
At sa 1 apo na inaalagaan niya rin ang kinabukasan.

Hindi niya naabutan ang lahat ng bukas nila…
pero sinigurado niyang may panimula sila kahit wala na siya.

Ganito pala ang tunay na pag-aaruga.

Yung kahit tahimik lang, may hinuhugutan palang seguridad para sa pamilya.

Kung ikaw ang breadwinner, tandaan mo:

𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶 𝗺𝗼 𝗸𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗶.
𝗞𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮.

No, I did not leave the aircon running 24/7.
My Meralco bill came in at ₱9,791.78. So let me break it down because nobody else will.

Generation charge alone is ₱5,266.66. That’s 54% of my entire bill. Meralco’s actual cut? ₱1,730.98. And that number hasn’t moved since 2022. What keeps going up is everything sitting on top of it.

Here’s what’s actually eating your money:

System Loss — ₱486.83
You are paying for stolen electricity. Illegal connections, meter tampering, jumpers. Republic Act 7832 lets Meralco pass the cost of electricity theft straight to paying customers.

Universal Charges — ₱201.96
Part of this goes toward paying off the National Power Corporation’s debts. Old debts. From decisions made before most of us were even working.

Government Taxes — ₱989.81
The 12% VAT is not just on what you consumed. It’s stacked on top of every other charge, including the subsidies you’re already paying for. So yes, you are paying tax on stolen electricity. Tax on an old government debt. Tax on a subsidy you do not even benefit from.

FiT-All and GEA-All — ₱149.59 combined
Two separate renewable energy levies running at the same time. The second one was quietly added to bills in February 2026. Both government-mandated. Neither one is optional.

FYI..none of this is illegal. It’s all backed by law. But legal and fair are not the same thing.

The middle class does not steal electricity. We do not qualify for lifeline rates. We do not get 4Ps. We just pay full VAT, fund everyone else’s discounts, and absorb costs that should never have been ours to begin with. Every month. Without relief.

What actually needs to change:
1. Reform the generation charge. One line item cannot be more than half your bill and go unchallenged.
2. Stop passing system loss to consumers. Other countries make the utility absorb it. We should demand the same.
3. Move faster on renewables. Lower generation costs long-term. That transition is already overdue.