The Department of Energy’s (DOE) annual summer ritual is familiar: it promises that the electricity supply will be “enough and stable,” but the power grid clearly is not getting the memo. After decades of forecasting, energy officials still miss the mark so consistently that it almost feels...
During intense deliberations that preceded the 2005 enactment of the Expanded Value Added Tax (E-VAT) Law, which also covered oil and electricity, lawmakers defended the measure as a treasury-tightening mechanism; an unpopular but calculated imposition designed to raise massive revenues so it could...
While insisting that the coal moratorium stays, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin indicated that the Department of Energy (DOE) is giving the country’s aging coal plants a not-so-gentle performance review—especially those that keep “calling in sick” through repeated forced outages that strain...
With Filipino consumers already reeling from punishing summer power bills, it’s time to confront an uncomfortable truth: the ₱0.0371/kWh GEA-All charge surreptitiously embedded in electricity rates is not anchored on solid statutory footing under Republic Act 9136 (EPIRA) or the Renewable...
With Iran announcing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a possible war deal finally taking shape, the Philippine government’s so-called “energy emergency response” now appears to be a dithering strategy. It looks more like the state sprinted into a trap door—akin to buying a fire...
As the Malampaya gas field slowly taps out and diplomacy trades hot words for cautious handshakes, the real suspense lies not just in geopolitical compromise, but in whether Recto Bank can finally proceed to well drilling or remain a perpetually well-discussed daydream. The lingering conflict in...
For Filipino consumers, it is a crippling puzzle: why are we hammered with over 100 percent cumulative oil price hikes while the rest of the world experiences only 40 percent to 60 percent increases for the same black gold? The answer is a toxic mix of heavy taxes, high import dependence, global...
As weekly price shocks gouge ever deeper holes in consumers’ pockets, more Filipinos are beginning to wonder: Are we heading toward a future where fuel isn’t just expensive, but essentially a “limited-edition” item? The warning from oil companies has been stark: April marks the edge of the...
Renewable energy (RE) advocates may roll their eyes, but the Middle East friction is shouting a bitter punchline: the world still treats fossil fuels like chocolate. The appetite is insatiable and relentless; if the supply runs dry, economies could fall apart faster than a cookie dunked in milk....
The ongoing Middle East conflict has cast a harsh spotlight on the Philippines’ vulnerabilities, exposing an energy supply chain so fragile that every global flare-up sends shockwaves straight to Filipino households. After 25 years of power industry deregulation and decades of oil market...
In the Philippine energy sector, ‘greed integration’ isn’t subtle anymore. It has been stamped in black and white with the jaw-dropping ₱11/kWh offshore wind price recently approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). This rate applies to the targeted 3,300-megawatt capacity auction...
If there’s a “most punishing relationship” in town, it’s the one between consumers and their power utilities. It is a toxic romance where the bills keep climbing, but mercy never comes. This month, many consumers served by utility giant Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) were stunned by a...
