A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE TEST AND MAINTENANCE OF ELECTRIC METERS OF DISTRIBUTION UTILITIES

WHEREAS, Section 16 (d), (e), (f) and (g) of Commonwealth Act No. 146
(CA 146) gives the Commission the power, upon proper notice and
hearing, to fix just and reasonable standards, classifications,
regulations, practices, measurements, or service to be furnished,
imposed, observed and followed by any public service; to establish
reasonable rules and regulations, instructions, specifications, and
standards, to secure the accuracy of all meters and appliances for
measurements; and to compel any public service to furnish safe,
adequate, and proper service as regards the manner of furnishing the
same as well as the maintenance of the necessary material and equipment;

WHEREAS, Section 17 (d) of CA 146 empowers the Commission to provide,
on motion by or at the request of any consumer or user of a public
service, for the examination and test of any appliance used for the
measuring of any product or service of a public service;

WHEREAS, Commonwealth Act No. 349 (CA 349) created a meter laboratory
that has the duty of inspecting, examining and approving periodically
all meters and appliances for measurements used by all public services
under the jurisdiction of the Commission to ensure their accuracy;

WHEREAS, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) proposed a set of
Rules and Procedures for the Test and Maintenance of Electric Meters of
Distribution Utilities;

WHEREAS, the said Rules and Procedures shall provide guidance to
Distribution Utilities (DUs) in the testing and maintenance of electric
meters in order to ensure the highest level of confidence of the
consumers on the accuracy of the DUs’ billing meters;

WHEREAS, the said Rules and Procedures were posted n the ERC website
and published in a newspaper of general circulation to solicit comments
from interested stakeholders;

WHEREAS, expository hearing were conducted in Cebu City on January
21, 2009 and in Manila on January 23, 2009. A public consultation was
also held in Manila on February 13, 2009;

WHEREAS, the revised Rules and Procedures incorporating the comments
of the stakeholders were again posted on the ERC website on April 20,
2009.

WHEREAS, the Rules and Procedures were again revised to consider the comments submitted during its second posting;

NOW THEREFORE, after careful deliberation on the issues relative
thereto, the ERC RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to APPROVE and ADOPT
the “Rules and Procedures for the Test and Maintenance of Electric
Meters of Distribution Utilities”, herein attached as Annex “A”^[*] and made an integral part of this Resolution.

All previous Rules, Regulations and Issuances by the Commission contrary to the instant Resolution are deemed superseded.

This Resolution shall take effect on the fifteenth (15th) day
following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the
country.

Let copies of this Resolution be furnished the University of the
Philippines Law Center-Office of the National Administrative Register
(UPLC-ONAR) and all entities engaged in the electricity metering.

Adopted: 01 June 2009

(SGD.) ZENAIDA G. CRUZ-DUCUT Chairperson
(SGD). RAUF A TAN Commissioner	(SGD.) ALEJANDRO Z. BARIN Commissioner
(SGD.) MARIA TERESA A.R. CASTANEDA Commissioner	(SGD.) JOSE C. REYES Commissioner

 

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^[*] Text Available at Office of the National Administrative Register, U. P. Law Complex, Diliman, Quezon City.