Consumer groups hail Power Act IRR

The issuance of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on the Electricity Industry Reform Act (EIRA) or RA 9136 is being hailed by the industry and consumer groups as a major step towards the actual trickle down of benefits to the end-users.

Over 2,000 delegates from the private sector, consumer groups, electric cooperatives, local government units, National Government agencies and the academe have participated in a series of public consultations conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE) on the IRR for the EIRA law.

Industry and consumer groups expressed guarded optimism with the impending reforms provided for by the EIRA law. They were appreciative of the DOE’s initiative to consult with them on the Power Act. During the plenary sessions, consumer groups told government officials that they were pinning theirs hopes on lower electricity rates in the landmark law, which took three administrations to enact. Industry players, including electric cooperatives, expressed their desire to see a level playing field in the power industry that would ultimately benefit consumers.

"It is said that some laws are better read than implemented, we hope that RA 9136 is not one of them," said Tita Royong, chairman of Bantay Bilihin Citizens Voluntary Network – a Naga-based consumer group, a statement that synthesizes the general sentiment of workshop delegates on the EIRA rules.

Public consultations were held in 10 key cities in major provinces nationwide. These included Quezon, Naga, Tacloban, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Pampanga, Iligan, Davao.

The workshops were held to solicit public participation in the formulation of the IRR, identify the next steps for establishing measures or mechanisms to safeguard public interest in the implementation of the EIRA, and to increase the participant’s level of acceptance of the purpose and benefits of RA 9136.

The IRR was presented according to its impact on four basic sectors in the power industry, namely: generation, transmission, distribution and supply, wholesale electricity spot market and consumer concerns.

DOE representatives were on hand to clarify certain provisions of the IRR, mainly those on debt condonation for electric cooperatives and unbundling of rates.