The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) will launch a “true-blue reconciled case inventory” to resolve about 5,000 pending cases, some dating back to 2001, under new Chairperson and CEO Francis Saturnino C. Juan.
In its first open commission meeting on Wednesday, Commissioner Floresinda Baldo G. Digal said the inventory is key to speeding up the resolution of cases, which include rate resets for private utilities, capital expenditure applications, power supply agreements, point-to-point line applications, dispute resolutions, rule-making, other rate-related cases, and unreleased show cause orders.
Juan said no case will be overlooked, with commissioners assigned specific oversight duties to ensure each case is acted upon.
Before assuming his post, Juan had committed to completing all private utility rate resets within his four-year term by revising rules and streamlining procedures.
He said delays, with none completed in more than a decade, were caused by procedural hurdles under the performance-based regulation (PBR) framework.
He plans to propose changes, including amendments to rules on rate setting transmission wheeling rates, during his first commission meeting.
The revisions, to undergo public consultations, will cut the ERC’s court-like process that requires extensive documentation and lengthy hearings.
One proposal is to remove the draft determination stage, which is followed by another round of consultations before a final decision—a step adopted from another jurisdiction where regulatory decisions are negotiated. Utilities, on the other hand, will still be allowed to seek reconsideration.