BACOLOD City – In response to a significant increase in electricity rates, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has appealed to the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider implementing a price cap.
Here, the rate is now P15.1632 per kilowatt-hour, up from P11.9566 last April—an increase of approximately P3 per kWh.
Benitez expressed concerns over the burden on consumers and has suggested that the price cap not only apply locally but also be considered on a national scale, given that similar rate increases are affecting other areas.
According to Benitez, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001, or Republic Act 9136, allows for such regulatory measures to protect consumers from excessive electricity prices during periods of market volatility or supply shortages.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has the authority to enforce these caps.
Benitez emphasized that the current conditions, exacerbated by a drought that has increased electricity consumption and limited supply, warrant immediate action from the ERC.
He also noted that implementing a price ceiling would ensure that rates do not exceed P15 per kWh, aiming to stabilize prices that have escalated due to heightened demand in the spot market./PN
