Marcos calls on Congress to review EPIRA

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday urged Congress to determine if there is a need to amend the Arroyo-era Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

In his third State of the Nation Address, Marcos said the government is studying whether or not the EPIRA still caters to the needs of consumers when it comes to having cheaper power rates.

"Binabalikan at binubusisi nating muli ang EPIRA upang malaman kung angkop pa ba ito sa ating kasalukuyang sitwasyon o napapanahon na ba ito ay amyendahan," Marcos said.

(We are reviewing and carefully studying the EPIRA to determine if it is appropriate to our current situation, or if it is time to be amended.)

"Hinihiling ko sa Kongreso na pagtulungan na natin ito alang-alang sa kapakanan ng mga Pilipino. Sa taas ng presyo ng kuryente sa bansa, nahihirapan hindi lamang ang mga negosyante kung hindi lalo na ang taumbayan," he added.

(I ask Congress to work with us towards achieving this goal for the benefit of Filipinos. As the country's electricity rates rise, not only businessmen have a hard time, but also especially the people of our nation.)

Enacted in 2001, EPIRA, a landmark pro-market reform, aims to ensure reliable and competitively priced electricity in the country. Among its salient features is the division of the electric power industry into four sub-sectors—generation, transmission, distribution, and supply—to ensure a level-playing field among players in the energy sector.

At the start of his presidency, Marcos said some provisions of the law were already "outdated."

Unified grid

Marcos also vowed that his administration continues to "diagnose" power shortages and systemic blackouts across the country.

He said the government continues to address blackouts through microgrid and off-grid systems.

"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," Marcos said.

To ease the burden on consumers regarding power rates, Marcos said the government continues to implement the Lifeline Rate program and the temporary suspension of the FIT-All Tariff for electric bill.

The President also said the government has connected the power grids of all three major island groups, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

"The 'unified Philippine Grid' is a fulfillment of the dream, whose seeds were planted in the 80s, through a vision bolstered by research and development, which we accomplished by applying typical Filipino persistence and dedication," he said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News