Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) officer-in-charge Chairman Jesse Andres has vowed a new system to expedite approving applications and reduce the backlogs.
Andres, who assumed office as temporary chief on Sept. 25, met with ERC commissioners to devise the new plan.
"I understand there are hundreds of backlogs and even thousands of backlogs in the service that we need to address. And that's one of the good things about me," he said. "I have always been a troubleshooter. I think out of the box. I have to find ways to make things go more efficiently. And I have already found ways to improve it."
He promised stakeholders they would see positive results starting next week when the commission convenes for the first time.
"We need to look at the regulations to make the process faster. That is the foremost complaint of the private sector. It's slow. We need to speed up the action on their applications. We have a lot of reforms to do to address that issue," he added.
Aside from expediting the approval process, Andres vowed to be more open and listen to stakeholders.
"The important thing here is teamwork," he said.
When asked how long it would take for electricity prices to go down under his leadership, Andres said that after one year, he would explain "how we have created the foundations so that a sustainable decrease in electricity can happen."
Andres emphasized that the commission must continue its work and had to do so before the Office of the Ombudsman's decision on Aug. 20 regarding Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta's six-month suspension.
Dimalanta was accused of playing a part in allowing the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to buy electricity at higher prices from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.
The National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms Inc. filed the case in November 2023 against Dimalanta and Meralco Chair Manny Pangilinan over the power distributor's continued purchase of a more expensive power supply.
The group said Dimalanta's approval allowed Meralco to pass on the charges to consumers without obtaining the necessary approval from the ERC.
**Ratify nuke treaties**
During the same briefing, Department of Energy Director for Energy Utilization Management Bureau Patrick Aquino urged for the timely ratification of treaties related to the development of nuclear energy that the Philippine government signed.
Aquino said the country could acquire nuclear technologies from its partners abroad after the Senate's concurrence of the treaties.
"Under our Nuclear Energy Plan and Roadmap, we want to ensure our legal and regulatory framework is in place. This means that all the conventions and treaties that we have approved and signed in the International Atomic Energy Agency will be ratified and used," he said.
Aquino said the government is also looking into creating a regulatory body for nuclear energy.
He said the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute's mandate should be revised. The institute currently promotes and regulates nuclear technology's safe and peaceful applications.
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