Availing of the Lifeline Rate Subsidy Program will help the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program save more money from their monthly grants, Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 7 (Central Visayas) Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero said on Thursday (21 December).

Regional Director Lucero encouraged the 4Ps beneficiaries to avail of the subsidized rates for electric bills during the first Lifeline Rate Caravan held in the Central Visayas region on 9 December as part of the series of caravans to be rolled out in different provinces from December to January 2024.

"We are calling 4Ps beneficiaries, especially those who have electric connections, to avail of this Lifeline Rate subsidy as it will help them save some money from their monthly expenses," Director Lucero pointed out.

The subsidized rates are given to low-income electric consumers, such as the beneficiaries of 4Ps using electricity below the distribution utilities' pegged number of kilowatt-hours per month, and those that consume a little over the threshold can avail of the discount.

During the first Lifeline Rate Caravan in the region, Director Lucero reported that some 829 4Ps beneficiaries from Toledo City and Carcar City in Cebu successfully applied for the Lifeline Rate subsidy program.

Director Lucero also advised 4Ps beneficiaries to visit distribution utilities or electric cooperatives in their area to apply for the subsidy program.

To avail of the program, the 4Ps beneficiaries should present their 4Ps ID or other valid government-issued ID with the signature and address of the electric consumer, the accomplished application form, and the most recent electricity bill.

The Central Visayas caravan was conducted through the partnerships of the DSWD, the Department of Energy, the Energy Regulation Commission, and Cebu Electric Cooperative, Inc. I and III, and the local government units of Toledo and Carcar.

Other lifeline rate caravans in different provinces are set to roll out to provide platforms for 4Ps beneficiaries to avail of the subsidized electric bills, as part of the preparation for the nationwide implementation of the subsidy program.

The full implementation of the lifeline rate program in the entire country will roll out in January 2024.

The subsidy program is provided for under Republic Act 11552, or an Act Extending and Enhancing the Implementation of the Lifeline Rate, amending for the purpose Section 73 of RA 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.