Malacañang urged Friday the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to explain the latest round of power rate increases amid mounting complaints from its consumers.

Pending an explanation from the power utility firm, Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Charito Planas also renewed her appeal to the public to conserve energy at home and office to prevent their electricity bills from skyrocketing.

“Meralco should adequately explain to their consumers the terms of what they are charging because they could not understand these additional charges,” Planas said in a news conference in the Palace.

Meralco consumers have complained over their significantly higher power bills in April despite suffering from rotating brownouts in recent weeks. The April bill reflected the increases approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on power generation and distribution rates.

Planas also took a swipe at the Aquino administration for tolerating the Lopez family to control Meralco following the ouster of the late President Marcos.

She said the late President Aquino virtually gave Meralco to the Lopezes “without proper accounting” of the company’s profits and accountabilities.

She recalled that Marcos government, which previously controlled Meralco when martial law was declared, was able to expand the earnings of the utility firm.

“The first act she (Aquino) did was to give all back to the Lopezes instead of accounting how much debt was paid and the profit it earned under the Marcos regime,” Planas said.

With the government’s hands tied over the power costs, Planas instead dished out several power saving tips to ease the burden of costly electricity bills. Among these measures are shift from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lights, efficient use of household appliances, and conservation of water.

Planas also challenged presidential and senatorial candidates to present their platform to ease the high electricity costs in the country.