To address high power prices, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has urged Congress to review and consider amending the more than two decades-old Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001.

The legislative action aims to explore potential modifications to the existing law so that it may keep up with the changing energy landscape while helping facilitate lower electricity costs for Filipino consumers.

“We are going back and re-examining EPIRA to see if it is still appropriate for our current situation or if it is time to amend it. I am asking the Congress to work together for the sake of the Filipino people. With the high price of electricity in the country, not only the businessmen but also the people are suffering.” Marcos said during his third State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Monday.

Increase in steady phase

“As energy projects get completed and new investments pour into the sector, we expect our nation’s power supply to increase at a steady pace to meet our growing demand in the next few years. Nonetheless, we are continuously diagnosing and urgently addressing power shortages, as well as the systemic causes of blackouts in unserved and underserved areas,” the President said.

The passage of the EPIRA during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dismantled the government’s control over the local power industry.

Instead, it granted the private sector significant control and influence over the power market.

Despite these changes, the EPIRA mandates that the restructured electricity industry is assured of healthy competition through a level playing field in the competitive retail electricity markets, with oversight by the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Philippine Competition Commission. The law also guarantees consumer choice and penalizes abuse of market power.

Remote areas energization

In his report, the President also said he would prioritize the energization of underserved areas to complement the administration’s thrust to alleviate Filipinos’ lives.

“We remediate the need for areas that do not yet have electricity and are prone to brownouts, through microgrid and off-grid systems, and missionary small power utilities that are still supported by solar,” Marcos said.

Last week, the Department of Energy said it would kick off next month the second round of competitive bidding that would determine the rightful service provider for the electrification of 75 identified unserved and underserved areas in the country.