ENERGY Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta resigned from her post on Monday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.
In a message to the media, Castro said Dimalanta submitted her “irrevocable resignation” to the Office of the President.
Castro did not provide other details.
It is also still unknown if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has accepted Dimalanta’s resignation and if an officer-in-charge has been named.
Dimalanta was assigned as ERC chief in August 2022. Prior to that, she chaired the National Renewable Energy Board from March 2019 to March 2021, where she helped craft the country’s Green Energy Auction Program and update the National Renewable Energy Plan.
She was also a professor of law at the Ateneo de Manila Law School and a member of the faculty of the Ateneo School of Government.
Local energy sector concerned over ERC leadership vacuum
LOCAL energy sector stakeholders have expressed concern over the leadership vacuum in the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) after the departure of ERC Commissioner Monalisa Dimalanta.
The Office of the President announced on Monday that Dimalanta has submitted her resignation.
Power for People Coalition (P4P), an energy advocacy group, said it recognizes Dimalanta’s service in the regulatory body despite failing to pull down power rates in the country during her watch, with a P2 per kilowatt-hour rate increase in the Meralco franchise area alone.
“We recognize that despite difficult circumstances, she has managed to put reforms forward that served consumer interests,” Gerry Arances, P4P convenor, said. “We wish her the best of luck in future endeavors.”
He added that as ERC is a commission, P4P enjoins the two other commissioners, Floresinda Baldo-Digal and Marko Romeo Fuentes, to follow the lead of Dimalanta and submit their own courtesy resignations, to give President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., “a free hand to reorganize the commission and start from a clean slate if the administration accepts Dimalanta’s submission.”
“Regardless of who will be appointed, P4P will continue on its role as a watchdog for consumer interests, in cooperation with, or against, the ERC’s commissioners,” Arances added.
For former Senate committee on energy vice-chair Sherwin Gatchalian, Dimalanta’s resignation is “a significant loss” to the government.
“Her unwavering commitment to integrity has been instrumental in steering the commission, and her dedication to consumer welfare and regulatory transparency set a high bar. I am hoping that her replacement will also have a similar dedication for fair and effective governance in the energy sector that will ensure the welfare of consumers and improvement of the entire sector,” he explained.
The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (Philreca) also expressed “regret” over Dimalanta’s resignation.
Janeene Depay-Colingan, Philreca executive director and general manager, said Dimalanta’s departure “is a great loss, particularly as it interrupts the strong momentum we had built on vital issues affecting our sector.”
However, she said that they are also looking forward to a harmonious relationship with her replacement, citing the country’s need for a leader “who is not only a master of the energy sector but also a true champion for the member-consumer-owners of our member electric cooperatives.”
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said it is concerned about Dimalanta’s sudden resignation and the concurrent end of term of two of its commissioners.
“This move effectively deprives the commission of a quorum to perform its regulatory role. The leadership vacuum will also delay key decisions regarding power tariffs, consumer protection and energy policies that will unfairly weigh on industrial and domestic consumers,” the group warned.
PCCI said the Marcos administration must act with “deliberate speed” in appointing able and independent-thinking commissioners to ensure continuity in the ERC mandate. — with additional report from Jed Macapagal
