Metro Manila, Philippines – Amid the looming electricity rate hikes, lawmakers are urged to amend a law that prevents the government from establishing more state-owned power plants that could help address power supply shortage and surging prices.
Makabayan Senatorial bet Teddy Casiño in a statement on Saturday, March 8, proposed a “major overhaul” of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001.
“Kailangan natin ng bagong batas na magbibigay ng mandato sa gobyerno na muling magtayo ng mga state-owned power plants,” he said.
“Mga planta na patatakbuhin bilang serbisyo, hindi negosyo. Pag dumami ang supply ng kuryente mula sa mga plantang ito, bababa ang presyo,” the senatorial bet added.
[Translation: We need a new law that will mandate the government to rebuild state-owned power plants. Plants to be operated as a service, not as a business. As the supply of electricity from these plants increases, the price will decrease.]
The proposal comes as The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) recently placed the Luzon grid under a “yellow” alert due to the increase in power demand as some power plants faced outages.
“Every summer, we face the same power shortages yet we continue to rely on private companies to solve the problem. But they never built enough supply to lower prices,” Casiño said.
The Senate bet said amending the EPIRA can help the state “take over the operation of power plants to ensure reliable and affordable electricity for all Filipinos.”
