Around 6 million households that are considered the “poorest of the poor” will get to experience subsidized electricity bills for another 30 years.

This is after the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law that extends and enhances the implementation of the lifeline rate was approved. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) recently announced.

The IRR for the Republic Act No. 11552, was signed by the ERC, the Department of Energy (DOE), as well as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) back on October 28, 2022.

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RA 11552 is also known as “An Act Extending and Enhancing the implementation of the Lifeline Rate, Amending for the Purpose Section 73 of Republic Act. No. 9136 (Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2021).”

This new measure extends the 20-year coverage subsidy provision for marginalized electricity consumers to another 30 years. Thus a total of 50 years.

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According to the ERC’s data, the program gave an average monthly subsidy of Php541 million to roughly Php6 million to marginalized consumers during the first half of 2022.

The lifeline rate is defined by EPIRA as the subsidy rate given to low-income consumers that don’t have the capacity to pay their electricity bill in full. Discounts given to said consumers vary as it is based on the per distribution utility (DU) computation of the regulatory body.

The priority of the extended measure is the qualified beneficiaries under the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” or 4Ps.

Via: Business World

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