Puerto Galera Officials Press ORMECO for Lower Power Rates After June Spike

Local leaders and residents questioned ORMECO during a public consultation on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, after the utility’s published residential rate climbed from ₱14.92 per kWh in May to ₱18.29 per kWh in June.

Puerto Galera residents are pressing for relief after the town’s electricity bills jumped sharply in June 2026. Local officials raised concerns and sought answers from Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (ORMECO) during a public consultation held on Wednesday, 8 July 2026.

Vice Mayor Rocky D. Ilagan appealed for more affordable power rates, saying the people of Puerto Galera deserve to feel the benefits of hosting the Philippine Hybrid Energy Systems, Inc. (PHESI) wind facility in their municipality. “If we host renewable energy infrastructure, our households and businesses should see the benefits,” he told the consultation, according to local accounts.

The concern follows ORMECO’s published residential power rate, which rose from ₱14.9177 per kilowatt-hour in May 2026 to ₱18.2907 per kilowatt-hour in June 2026. ORMECO’s published generation charge also climbed from ₱9.8742 per kilowatt-hour in May to ₱12.5081 per kilowatt-hour in June.

The unexpected increase has fuelled public frustration, particularly after expectations that generation rates would fall in June as new supply arrangements and additional providers came online. Residents, small business owners and tourism operators told officials that higher electricity costs are affecting household budgets and local commerce.

PHESI operates a 16-megawatt wind facility in Puerto Galera and a battery energy storage system intended to support power supply stability in Oriental Mindoro. Local officials and community members say hosting such infrastructure should help reduce reliance on more expensive generation sources and translate into lower consumer rates.

ORMECO representatives have pointed to several factors that can affect wholesale and retail rates, including variability in renewable generation due to weather, power supply shortages, delays to new power projects, emergency power procurement and the use of high-cost generation sources. The raw text supplied for this story notes these explanations but does not include a detailed ORMECO statement to the public consultation.

For many in Puerto Galera, the issue is now as much about transparency and fairness as it is about supply: residents want clearer breakdowns of rate components, assurance that local renewable generation benefits the community, and concrete plans for rate relief.

Vice Mayor Ilagan’s comments reflect a growing demand for accountability. Local observers said the public will be watching whether ORMECO and its power suppliers can deliver measurable reductions in bills in the coming months.

This report is based on a public consultation held on Wednesday, 8 July 2026. Journalists seeking more information should request ORMECO’s written explanation for the May-to-June rate changes and data from PHESI on actual generation and battery dispatch for May and June 2026.