Senator Risa Hontiveros – Photo courtesy of Senator Risa Hontiveros/Facebook.
Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a bill seeking to allow the president to impose a ceiling on electricity rates during energy emergencies and calamities.
Senate Bill No. 2361, filed on July 29, proposed stronger safeguards for consumers facing rising power costs. Hontiveros said the measure would provide immediate and long-term protection during crises.
She said electricity rates should not be allowed to rise unchecked while households were already struggling with the cost of food, transportation, medicine and other basic needs.
The bill sought to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act by authorizing the president to set a power rate cap upon the joint recommendation of the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission.
The proposed ceiling would apply in areas placed under a state of emergency or calamity. The measure was filed amid continued increases in electricity prices linked to the global energy crisis and the conflict in the Middle East.
The bill also proposed an automatic suspension of electricity disconnections for residential consumers for up to 90 days during an emergency or calamity. Distribution utilities would also be required to offer staggered payment plans.
Consumers disputing their electricity bills would remain connected while their complaints were pending before the distribution utility or the ERC, provided they paid under protest an amount equivalent to their average monthly bill for the previous three billing periods.
The measure also sought to create an independent Consumer Affairs Office to represent electricity users. Hontiveros said consumers should not be required to pay disputed charges in full before their complaints were resolved, particularly during emergencies.
