Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon on Thursday raised concerns over a viral video showing a sharp increase in an electricity bill, saying it may involve misleading information and should be investigated.
In an interview on DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, Ridon addressed a circulating clip claiming that a household’s monthly electric bill from Meralco jumped from about 700 pesos in October to around 7,000 pesos in May.
Ridon said the claim initially appears alarming to consumers but noted that a review of the material showed inconsistencies, including the use of different account and customer numbers, suggesting it did not refer to the same household.
“Upon na cross inspection, nakita ko doon na ang ginamit pala ay magkakaibang mga account number, customer number. So hindi po ito patungkol doon sa same na household or account na pinag-uusapan.”
He said the comparison presented in the video does not reflect a typical billing pattern and would not align with normal household electricity usage.
The lawmaker added that while some consumers have experienced increases in their bills due to various factors, those cases are based on actual account records.
Ridon also said the video contains indications that could mislead viewers and trigger public anger against both the utility company and the government.
“Nakapag-trigger po talaga ito ng galit, una doon sa distribution utility, pangalawa doon din sa gobyerno.”
He stressed that while electricity prices remain a legitimate issue for public discussion, debates must be based on verified information and not false or manipulated content.
The lawmaker said responsibility may lie with both the content creator and the platform that hosted and circulated the video, identifying the uploaded material as appearing on Peanut Gallery Media Network, which helped it go viral.
“Very important po kasi na makita natin kung meron bang disinformation operations na in-undertake nga po yung PGMN patungkol dito sa presyo ng kuryente at iba pang mausapin kasi katulad ng binanggit ko, wala tayong debate na seryosong kailangang pag-usapan yung presyo ng kuryente at iba pang mga malapit sa sikmura ng ating mga kababayan. We are drawing a red line.”
Ridon said an investigation is needed to determine whether there are organized efforts behind the spread of disinformation related to electricity rates and other public issues, adding that accountability should extend to platforms that distribute questionable content.
