President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday called on Congress to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act during his fifth State of the Nation Address, proposing to end charges for system losses passed on to electricity consumers.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered the proposal at the Batasang Pambansa in Manila. He said consumers should not pay for electricity lost during transmission and distribution.
“We, the people, request—no, we demand the immediate amendment of EPIRA and to prohibit the charging of system loss against consumers, including the value-added tax (VAT) thereon,” Marcos said, drawing applause from lawmakers.
Marcos also urged passage of the Sariling Kuryente Act to ease installation of rooftop solar panels. The Department of Energy supported the EPIRA changes while stressing the need to keep the power sector financially stable.
The 2001 law currently allows distribution utilities to recover system losses from customers through their bills.
