Marcos Urges Congress to Amend Epira for Lower Power Costs

President Marcos on Monday urged Congress to immediately amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), calling for the abolition of system loss charges passed on to consumers. He stated that it is unfair to make the public pay for inefficiencies in the power sector. During his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President highlighted that the current situation, where the public bears the cost of inefficiencies in power supply, is unacceptable. EPIRA, enacted in 2001 to liberalize and promote competition in the power market, has seen system loss charges—representing inefficiencies in electricity companies' operations and transmission grid losses—added to consumer bills. This has been cited as a contributing factor to rising electricity prices. The President expressed his view that this change in the charging system will alleviate the burden on the public and lead to the rationalization of electricity costs. The proposed amendment is also expected to enhance the competitiveness of the Philippine economy as a whole by increasing the transparency of electricity charges and promoting efficiency in power supply. Electricity costs represent a significant burden for households in the Philippines, with a particularly severe impact on low-income segments. If the EPIRA amendment is realized, many citizens could potentially benefit. Source: Inquirer NewsInfo