The Department of Energy (DOE) is encouraging household beneficiaries listed under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to avail of the electricity lifeline rate program of the government to continue to get discounts on their electricity bills.
The agency said there are 4.2 million household beneficiaries of 4Ps but registration for lifeline subsidy remains “very low.”
“…Only those who register will continue to receive a reduction in their electricity bills beginning August 2023,” said DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla warned.
The DOE said 4Ps beneficiaries need to apply and register with their distribution utilities (DUs) or electric cooperatives to enjoy discounts, depending on prevailing rates.
Lotilla said for instance, lifeline end-users in the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) franchise area with zero to 20 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of monthly consumption will be granted a 100- percent discount on generation charges, including system loss, transmission and distribution components of their bill except for the fixed metering charge of P5, which means they will only be paying more or less P20 in their electric bills.
“If they do not avail of the program through Meralco, they will have to shell out more or less P250, an amount which could otherwise be spent for their other needs such as food…
We are not imposing a deadline on when the consumer could avail of the discounted rate.
However, unless registered, they cannot avail of the benefits,” Lotilla said.
DOE added to apply for the lifeline rate program, any household consumer who is a beneficiary of the 4Ps must submit a duly accomplished application form, the most recent electricity bill and any valid government-issued identification card containing the signature and address of the consumer.
Other marginalized end-user applicants who are not in the 4Ps beneficiaries but belong to a household of at least five members and have a combined monthly income of P12,030, must submit to their DUs a certification by their local Social Welfare Development Office issued within six months before the filing of the application showing their family income at the time of application, a duly accomplished form, most recent electricity bill and any government-issued ID containing the signature and address of the consumer.
The DOE said the monthly income threshold may change and vary for each DU franchise area as may be determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
