Admin solons back EPIRA review to lower power cost

ADMINISTRATION lawmakers yesterday backed the initiative of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to call for a comprehensive review of the Electric Power Industry Regulation Act of 2001 (EPIRA) to reduce the cost of power and achieve energy security for the country.

“We fully support this move by our leader in the House. If we can finally reduce the cost of electricity, this would be one of the legacies of our Speaker and the chamber he heads,” the lawmakers led by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga, Deputy Speaker David Suarez of Quezon, and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe of Zamboanga City said in a statement.

The other lawmakers who issued the statement were Reps. Faustino Dy V of Isabela, Ramin Rodrigo Gutierrez (PL, 1-Rider), Raul Angelo Bongalon (PL, Ako Bicol), Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur, Paolo Ortega of La Union, Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales, Mika Suansing of Nueva Ecija, Joel Chua of Manila, Margarita Nograles (PL, PBA), and Cheeno Miguel Almario of Davao Oriental.

If the House succeeds in bringing down electricity cost, it would have achieved what previous Congresses have failed to do, the lawmakers said.

“That achievement then would be one of the legacies of our Speaker and his present colleagues in the House. The expansion of our economy has long been hobbled by high electricity rates. This problem has consistently been one of the top concerns of the business community since the enactment of EPIRA,” they said.

The Speaker earlier said the House would try to finish the EPIRA amendments before Congress goes on its Christmas recess. “We will work to further reduce electricity rates and rice prices. Accomplishing that will surely lead to a further moderation of inflation,” Romualdez said.

The administration lawmakers lamented that power rates in the country have been consistently going up, “to the extent that they are now among the highest in the ASEAN region.”

The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) has resolved to prioritize the passage of 28 bills, including amendments to the EPIRA, before the conclusion of the 19th Congress in June 2025.

The administration lawmakers said now is the best time