If there is one thing that has united consumers in recent months, it is not a national holiday or a collective celebration: it is the shared shock and frustration of opening their electric bills. For the millions of subscribers of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), every billing cycle has become an...
The Philippines remains energy insecure as its growing dependence on Middle Eastern crude oil and tightening power reserves leave the country increasingly vulnerable to global fuel supply disruptions as well as power supply risks, according to state-run think tank Philippine Institute for...
With the effects of the fuel crisis rippling across sectors, public transport is among the most severely impacted. Jeepney drivers are bearing the brunt of this volatility as rising costs threaten both their livelihoods and national mobility. The impact is felt far beyond the roads; this means...
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) have partnered with GCash to enable fuel subsidy disbursements benefiting drivers of public transportation nationwide. Under this program, eligible beneficiaries receive fuel assistance directly...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is preparing to penalize power generation companies in Visayas whose prolonged plant shutdowns have triggered persistent yellow grid alerts and threatened the regional power supply. ERC Chairperson Francis Saturnino Juan said in an interview last week that the...
The Philippines has secured approval for a new grant from the United States (US) aid arm Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) to support energy-sector reforms, providing a fresh boost to the Marcos Jr. administration’s efforts to strengthen energy security while the country remains under a state of...
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has banned the importation of sugar, molasses, and other products derived from sugarcane for use as feedstock in bioethanol production, as it seeks to end years-long noncompliance with the country’s biofuels policy. Under Sugar Order (SO) No. 4 dated May...
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it will actively evaluate new regulatory guidelines that strip away its exclusive control over building the country’s power lines, aiming to protect the legal and operational framework of the national transmission network. The privately...
Amid a prolonged global oil crisis, the Philippines is poised to secure fresh grant and loan financing from bilateral as well as multilateral partners to support power-sector reforms and the transition to more renewable energy (RE) sources. United States (US) aid agency Millennium Challenge Corp....
The Philippines is set to secure another $1-billion loan from the World Bank in June, this time for an energy project follow-through and coupled with a $20-million grant, making the package the largest single financing commitment extended to the country by the Washington-based multilateral lender....
Twenty-five years after the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) restructured the country’s electricity sector, government and industry players are expected to raise a toast to “market liberalization” as a success story. Whether consumers feel just as energized, however, is another...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has imposed new limits on the maximum market share power generation companies can control in the country’s regional and national grids, part of its regulatory push to curb monopolies and foster competition in the sector. The ERC updated the installed...
