ERC, MTRCB agree to educate consumers

MANILA, Philippines - The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has partnered with the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for consumer education on the new developments and trends in the electric power industry.

In a statement, the ERC said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with MTRCB last June 4, sealing their cooperation to further educate electricity consumers on the new developments and trends in the electric power industry.

”The partnership aims to help Filipino consumers empower themselves through the acquisition of knowledge about the dynamics of the electric power industry, the roles of the generating companies, transmission companies, distribution utilities and retail electricity suppliers and their rights as customers,” ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said.

For his part, MTRCB chairman Eugenio H. Villareal said the partnership would empower the audience particularly in the promotion and protection of electricity consumer interests in the midst of the reformation of the electric power industry, including matters regarding environment protection and public safety measures.

Under the MOU, both the ERC and MTRCB agreed to develop and conduct cooperative activities and support any and all efforts, initiatives and activities relating to public information and education campaign aimed at raising public awareness on the importance and proper discernment of the different classification ratings for movies and television programs, as well as the dynamics of film and media literacy, and of audience empowerment vis-à-vis the promotion of consumer interests.

Both parties will also engage movie and television industry stakeholders - cinema operators, television networks and cable operators - to afford ERC’s information-education-communication campaign materials to raise public awareness on the proper use of electric power and energy conservation and safety measures.

The ERC is the national agency tasked with the regulation of the electric power industry, including the undertaking of public information campaigns on the proper use of electric power and energy conservation and safety measures.

MTRCB is the entity that supervises and regulates the public exhibition of motion pictures, television programs, and publicity materials.

Last week, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said it has teamed up with MRTCB to disseminate its information campaign on transmission line safety and protection and right-of-way (ROW) information campaign by showing their safety and anti-pilferage public service videos in movie theaters.