Na-Kuryente!

We were literally—and figuratively—shocked.

Our CASURECO II electricity bill for June arrived with a jolt. My own business, a modest family enterprise along Baras Road in the fourth-class municipality of Canaman, Camarines Sur, was billed ₱14,495 for June. Just a month earlier, our bill was only ₱5,759. In April, it was ₱5,879. Never in decades of operating the store had we received an electricity bill this high.

Was this still the lingering effect of the Middle East conflict that disrupted global energy markets earlier this year? Perhaps partly. Yet Bicol is home to one of the country’s geothermal energy sources in Tiwi, Albay. Seeing our electricity bill almost triple naturally left us asking: why did the increase have to be this steep?

What made it even harder to understand was that we had not bought new refrigerators or freezers, nor had we significantly increased our operating hours. On the contrary, June was a difficult month. We endured more than five lengthy brownouts that interrupted business and even damaged our electrical system, forcing us to replace a circuit breaker and repair the wiring leading to the meter. As I flipped through our monthly bills, it was the CASURECO statement that sent chills down my spine. If this was June, what would July bring?

Feeling aggrieved and doubtful, I called a friend inside the cooperative. The explanation came quickly: higher generation costs, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, rising fuel prices, inflation, and fluctuations in the electricity market. Those are legitimate factors that can influence power prices. Yet they still did not explain why some consumers experienced dramatically different increases from one billing cycle to the next.

As neighbors compared their bills, one expression echoed throughout the community: “Nakuryente ako!” In Filipino slang, nakuryente rarely means someone was literally electrocuted. It means being fooled, caught off guard, or feeling taken advantage of. Younger Filipinos might say nabudol. Different words, same frustration. One household reported its bill jumping from ₱550 to more than ₱1,089. Another family’s bill rose from around ₱800 to ₱1,300. Small business owners, sari-sari stores, eateries, and ordinary households all shared similar stories. For families already struggling with rising food prices, transportation costs, tuition, and other daily expenses, the increase became another heavy burden.

To be fair, not every peso in our electric bill goes to CASURECO. Much of it comes from generation, transmission, taxes, and other government-approved charges. The cooperative does not control all of these costs. But what it can control is how honestly and clearly it explains them to the people who own it. It is a consumer-owned electric distribution cooperative regulated by the National Electrification Administration and the Energy Regulatory Commission. Electricity charges include generation, transmission, distribution, system loss, taxes, universal charges, and other government-imposed fees. The generation charge, usually the largest component, is influenced largely by factors beyond the cooperative’s control.

But acknowledging these realities does not diminish CASURECO’s responsibility to the very people who own it. As a cooperative, it must communicate clearly, explain significant rate adjustments, provide efficient service, and remain accountable to its member-consumers. If it truly belongs to the people, then transparency should not be difficult. Consumers deserve to understand how rates are computed, how revenues are used, and why sudden increases occur.

I have written the cooperative requesting a fuller explanation and urging it to meet directly with its member-consumers. I am not alone. More and more consumers have been going to its office seeking answers. They deserve more than a higher bill. They deserve clear, understandable explanations that ordinary people can appreciate. The issue, however, goes beyond one electric cooperative. It points to a larger national challenge. For decades, successive administrations have spoken about achieving energy security, yet the country continues to struggle with high electricity costs. While many of our neighbors have rapidly expanded renewable energy and diversified their power sources, Filipino consumers continue to shoulder some of the highest electricity prices in the region.

Last week, the Department of Energy(DOE) admotted that the Philippines now has the most expensive electricity rates in Southeast Asia, with the country’s average power price reaching P12.43 per kilowatt-hour in June, surpassing Singapore’s average rate by P0.09 per kWh! That reality deserves serious national reflection, and also a time for member-consumers to take a closer look at the governance of their own electric cooperatives. After all, the Board of Directors is elected to represent the consumers. Are they hearing the voices of the people they serve? Are they asking the difficult questions on behalf of the communities that elected them?

Electricity is no longer a luxury. It powers our homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and livelihoods. Every peso added to the monthly bill is one less peso for food, medicine, education, or savings. Until clearer explanations—and lasting solutions—are provided, many ordinary consumers will continue to say what we all felt when the June bills arrived: “Nakuryente kami.”