A Philippine lawmaker is urging colleagues in Congress to begin deliberating on a bill that would amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), according to a report from Inquirer.net. The call comes as separate policy discussions on power rates and system loss charges are underway.
The push to amend EPIRA is tied to ongoing efforts to address electricity costs in the country. Inquirer.net reports that the lawmaker wants the legislative branch to start tackling the proposed changes rather than delaying the process further.
The EPIRA amendments are part of a broader conversation about how power is priced and billed to consumers. The Philippine News Agency reported that the Department of Energy, the Energy Regulatory Commission, and utility giant Meralco have been discussing policy reforms aimed at achieving fairer power rates.
A key issue in these talks is the system loss charge, which is a fee passed on to consumers to cover electricity lost during transmission and distribution. BusinessWorld Online reported that a task force is laying the groundwork for the removal of this charge entirely.
However, Meralco chair Manuel Pangilinan has warned that the power industry "may not survive" if it is forced to absorb system losses without compensation, according to Rappler. The Manila Times also reported that a separate bill has been filed specifically to stop the pass-on of system loss charges to consumers.
These developments indicate that while there is political will to reform the system, the industry is pushing back on the financial implications. The legislative timeline for the EPIRA amendment bill remains unclear, but the lawmaker's appeal suggests a sense of urgency among some in Congress.
What to watch next is whether the House and Senate can reconcile the competing interests of consumer groups and power distributors as the amendment process moves forward.
