I just received the following demand from Meralco. The letter and the electric account is still in the name of a previous tenant. I have never tampered with their meter and in fact was on the point of asking them to check it because the bills are much higher than at my previous address.

If anyone can offer good legal advice on where I stand and what I should do I would really appreciate it.

Sir/ Madam:

The inspection of your metering installation on June 6, 2005, yielded the following
findings of our field personnel:

1. The sealing wire of the lead cover seals was cut.
2. The 1000th, 100th and 10th dial pointers were out of alignment.

Given the above findings and in accordance with Republic Act 7832 ( Anti-Pilferage of
Electricity and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Act of 1994), you are billed the
amount of P51,567.35.

This is a formal demand upon you to settle the above stated amount within 10 days
from your receipt of this letter; otherwise , your service shall be disconnected. We reserve the
right to file the necessary criminal or civil action against you for violation of Republic Act
7832 before or after the disconnection of your service.

Furthermore, for such violation of Contract ( VOC ) you are held liable by R.A. 7832 to
pay SURCHARGE representing an amount seperate from the differantial billing to be collected
later.

I just received the following demand from Meralco. The letter and the electric account is still in the name of a previous tenant. I have never tampered with their meter and in fact was on the point of asking them to check it because the bills are much higher than at my previous address.

If anyone can offer good legal advice on where I stand and what I should do I would really appreciate it.

Sir/ Madam:

The inspection of your metering installation on June 6, 2005, yielded the following
findings of our field personnel:

1. The sealing wire of the lead cover seals was cut.
2. The 1000th, 100th and 10th dial pointers were out of alignment.

Given the above findings and in accordance with Republic Act 7832 ( Anti-Pilferage of
Electricity and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Act of 1994), you are billed the
amount of P51,567.35.

This is a formal demand upon you to settle the above stated amount within 10 days
from your receipt of this letter; otherwise , your service shall be disconnected. We reserve the
right to file the necessary criminal or civil action against you for violation of Republic Act
7832 before or after the disconnection of your service.

Furthermore, for such violation of Contract ( VOC ) you are held liable by R.A. 7832 to
pay SURCHARGE representing an amount seperate from the differantial billing to be collected
later.

You said that the bill is still not under your name. So that makes the previous tenant, and not you, liable. Are you renting the house or bought it from somebody? If you are renting it, then let the landlord settle it with Meralco. And I don't think the inspection is a strong evidence because it only shows that somebody indeed tampered their meter. But they couldn't point you as the culprit.

You said that the bill is still not under your name. So that makes the previous tenant, and not you, liable. Are you renting the house or bought it from somebody? If you are renting it, then let the landlord settle it with Meralco. And I don't think the inspection is a strong evidence because it only shows that somebody indeed tampered their meter. But they couldn't point you as the culprit.

That is what I was thinking too but before I do anything I want to carefully apraise the situation and get advice. They can still cut off the power if their demands are not met.

I suspect that they have noticed the electric bill fluctuates wildly, assumed it was because the meter was tampered with and accused me of a criminal offence without even bothering to check. The fact is, when I am in the Philippines I use an aircon day and night. When I am in Hong Kong it is not used so the usage does vary dramatically. I am tempted to consult a laywer and sue them for damage to my character.

Suggest you go to the branch office and tell them you did not tamper with the meter. If they still insist you have to pay, then tell them you are suing. You have to do this immidiately because they only gave you 10 days. If you have to sue, you may need to get a TRO to not to disconnect your line. Use your network of friends (pref. influential friends) for advice and help to resolve this.

Mr. Woolf,
I know of one excellent lawyer who is also handling a presently running case about my late father's estates in the National Capital Region. Although he (former senator Rene Saguisag) is so tied up with piles of deadlines, he or his associates might be able to entertain your legal queries. We have not been in contact for some time, since I inhibited myself from participating, but his last email to me bears this address: Saguisag Law Office ravslaw@mozcom.com. I hope this might be of help. All other lawyers that I know are from Laguna and Quezon. A bit far from your place.

Thanks for the tip. By the way I hear you cant ride anymore. I am very sorry to hear that and can understand how you feel. I couldn't ride for months and now I can ride I don't think I will ever be able to do a long ride again.

Now that I have cooled off and got some feedback I will call the area manager of Meralco tomorrow.

Thank you for your message, sir. I'm glad that you can ride again. That was a tough battle you had behind you.

I hope that this thing with Meralco would soon be over. I know that it's a pain in the neck. Facts are facts, and they can't be simply bent or distorted. Meralco, being the accuser, should prove its stand. The ball is in their hands. You don't have to prove anything, as far as I know. Innocent, unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. They have the burden of proof, not you.

And, for heaven's sake, we're talking here about a household of a decent man who has so much honor and reputation to lose and nothing to gain with such allegations. Nobody would buy this crap from them.