SAGIP party-list lawmakers have filed 10 energy-related bills aimed at bringing down the cost of electricity in the country, including a measure which seeks to limit the cap for system loss from 9.5 percent to 1 percent.
Reps. Rodante Marcoleta and Caroline Tanchay have filed House Bill No. 160, or the proposed System Loss Limitation Act of 2022, in an effort to stop distribution utilities from unduly passing the burden of shouldering system losses or the electricity lost to pilferage to consumers.
“Passing too much burden of incurring these system losses to the consumers is not only unfair but also deters the power firm from prioritizing quality and reliable service, knowing that they can readily pass the charges on to the consumers,” the authors said in the bill’s explanatory note.
Another measure the two lawmakers filed is House Bill No. 161 or the proposed VAT Exemption for Covered Electric Billing Act of 2022, which exempts low-income households with a total monthly consumption of 200 kWh from the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) on all electric components. This will translate to a discount of almost P240.00 per month for the covered households.
SAGIP lawmakers also sought for the amendment of the Oil Deregulation Act through House Bill 164 or an act that will protect consumers from what they call “arbitrary” increases in prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) which is an essential in every Filipino household.
Also filed was House Bill 174 or the Act Prohibiting Cross-Ownership among Distribution Utilities and Generation Companies, which seeks to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and avoid monopoly by eliminating the allowance for cross-ownership in the EPIRA.
“The prohibition on any form of cross-ownership will remove the conflict of interest as among distribution utilities and generation companies, allowing a level playing field for all power stakeholders,” the bill said.
The lawmakers also filed House Bill 172 seeking the institutionalization of the Energy Investment Coordinating Council (EICC), which former president Duterte created in 2017.
The authors said it is necessary to further amplify the role of EICC to safeguard energy projects, “considering the threat of an energy crisis on a global scale” and “thinning energy resources on the national scale.”
The lawmakers also want to develop the Philippines’ downstream natural gas industry through House Bill 173 to provide an alternative source of natural gas aside from the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power project.
In pushing for the development of energy projects, SAGIP lawmakers likewise filed measures that would accelerate renewable energy in the country. Among the bills were House Bill 162 or the Green Energy Auction Act, House Bill 163 or the Laguna Bay Solar Park Development Act of 2022, House Bill 170 or the Act Enhancing the Implementation of the Net Metering System, and House Bill 171 or the Act Authorizing the Development of Idled and Unutilized AFP Real Estates for Potential Sites of Renewable Energy Projects.
