MORE low-income households are expected to benefit from discounted power rates after the government set a new threshold and approved the automatic registration of qualified beneficiaries.
Households under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (4Ps) program, which provides conditional cash assistance to extremely poor families, will now be automatically included in the Lifeline Rate Subsidy Program (LRSP), the Department of Energy (DOE) said on Friday.
The lifeline rate is granted to low-income households and marginalized end-users that have difficulties in paying their electricity bills. The program was extended to 4Ps beneficiaries under a 2020 law but enrollment has been constrained by red tape and other challenges.
The DOE, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Energy Regulatory (ERC) signed a joint resolution to adopt supplementary rules under Republic Act 11552.
“Together, these measures streamline procedures, harmonize requirements, and address long-standing administrative barriers that have constrained the enrollment of eligible households under the LRSP,” the Energy department said.
Registration will remain valid as long as the household is part of the list of 4Ps beneficiaries.
The ERC also adopted a uniform national lifeline consumption threshold of 50 kilowatt-hours, meaning that qualified households consuming up to that much per month can avail of a 100-percent discount.
This will be funded by a one-centavo per kilowatt charge to be collected from other electricity consumers.
The DOE said that for distribution utilities with ERC-approved caps above this, existing discount structures will remain in effect.
The joint resolution was said to be the result of meetings in August and September last year that also included representatives of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Statistics Authority, and distribution utilities.
“These discussions identified key bottlenecks, including fragmented data systems, manual processes, and inconsistent validation standards, that contributed to low registration among eligible end-users,” the DOE said.
“The new framework directly addresses these issues through data-driven and automated solutions,” the department added.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the move was also in response to a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to expand the lifeline rate subsidy.
“By automating and simplifying registration for qualified 4Ps households, we are reducing red tape and helping ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most — faster, fairer, and at scale,” she said.