PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged a review of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) to ensure that it remains responsive to the current energy situation in the country.
During his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 22, 2024, Marcos said it is the best time to look into the efficiency of the Epira law, which ordered the re-structure of the electric power industry by privatizing the generation, transmission, distribution and supply of the power sector.
The measure was enacted in 2001 under the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
“Binabalikan at binubusisi nating muli ang Epira upang malaman kung angkop pa ba ito sa ating kasalukuyang sitwasyon, o napapanahon na, na ito ay amyendahan,” he said.
(We are re-examining Epira to see if it is still appropriate for our current situation, or if it is time for it to be amended.)
“Hinihiling ko sa Kongreso na pagtulungan na natin ito, alang-alang sa kapakanan ng mga Pilipino. Sa taas ng presyo ng kuryente sa bansa, nahihirapan hindi lamang ang mga negosyante — kundi lalo na ang taumbayan,” he added.
(I am asking the Congress to work together on this, for the sake of the Filipino people. With the high price of electricity in the country, it is difficult not only for businessmen — but especially for the people.)
Marcos assured the government’s continuous effort to diagnose and urgently address power shortages in the country, especially in unserved and underserved areas, through microgrid and off-grid systems.
He touted the newly inaugurated Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose transmission line, which is running through Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan and is seen to further strengthen the reliability of the Luzon power grid.
The President also noted the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) backbone project and the energization of the Dumanjug-Corella Line of the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project, which is material in the stabilization of power situation in Western and Central Visayas, and avert recurrences of power outages experienced in the past particularly the four-day power outage in Panay and Guimaras Island in the first week of 2024.
The P67.9 billion CNP 230-kV Backbone Project of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines is composed of three phases and the Negros-Panay Interconnection Project Line 2 (NPIP L2).
It will allow the increased transfer capacity among Cebu, Negros, and Panay islands and the dispatch of excess capacities from Mindanao to meet the demand in the Visayas grid. It will also accommodate the development of new power plants in the Visayas grid.
The project involves the construction of a high-voltage transmission line and associated substations to connect the islands of Cebu, Negros, and Panay.
Marcos said the “unified Philippine Grid” is a fulfillment of the dream, whose seeds were planted in the 80s, through a vision bolstered by research and development that were accomplished by “applying typical Filipino persistence and dedication.”
“The energization of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection is a defining moment not only for the power sector but for the entire country. Finally, we have connected the power grids of all three major island groups,” he said.
The President said that through the establishment of more energy infrastructure, the cost of energy in the country will gradually go down.
He also noted the implementation of the Lifeline Rate Program for the poor families and the beneficiaries of the Pantawid sa Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the suspension of the FIT-All Tariff on electric bill, the imposition of the Anti-Bill Program, the suspension of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market when the Luzon and Visayas grids were placed on red alerts, and the policy on giving refunds and removal of excess fees for consumers like the franchise fee as among those that cushion the effect of energy cost. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)