Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Collective Response to Presidential Commitments in the Energy Sector

Thank you, Secretary Sharon Garin, of the Department of Energy.

[Please take your seats.]

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda and the other members of the Cabinet that are here present; and of course, our very valuable partner in not only these programs for the provision of power for even the most isolated places, Meralco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manny Pangilinan; the ERC Chairperson and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan and the other commissioners who are here present; Meralco executives and personnel; local government units officials; fellow workers in government; distinguished guests.

Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat!

Anuman ang ating pinanggalingan at ang ating kalagayan sa buhay, hindi natin maikakaila na mahalagang bahagi ng ating araw-araw na pamumuhay ay ang kuryente. Sa maraming paraan, ang kuryente ay ang nagsusulong sa ating pag-unlad.

Kaya’t malinaw ang ating direksyon: palawakin ang koneksyon, palakasin ang kapasidad, at gawing abot-kaya ang presyo ng kuryente para sa bawat Pilipino.

I am heartened to see that the government and key stakeholders, like MERALCO, continue to work in alleviating the burdens of our people.

Marami sa ating mga kababayan—lalo na ang mga nasa liblib na lugar—ang nangangailangan ng mas abot-kaya at maaasahang kuryente.

Kapag may kuryente, may ilaw [na] kaagapay ang ating mga nanay sa pagluluto; may liwanag na gagabay sa ating mga anak sa kanilang pag-aaral; at may masasandalang lakas ang maliliit na mga negosyante.

Alam po ninyo na noong isang taon, pinagtuunan ko talaga ng pansin itong lifeline rate na ating napapag-usapan. Sabi ko, ang tagal na nitong programang ito, ngunit bakit ang liit lamang ng bilang ng pamilya na nakikinabang dito? Ang sagot, masyadong masalimuot ang mga requirement.

Mahirap ka na nga, kailangan mo pang patunayan na mahirap ka.

Noong Nobyembre 2025, mahigit 334,000 konsyumer na ang nakarehistro sa ilalim ng Lifeline Rate Subsidy Program o LRSP. Ito’y halos labing-isang porsyento lamang ng inaasahang higit tatlong milyong benepisyaryo ng 4Ps.

Kaya po ginawa nating simple ang patakaran. Hindi na kailangan mag-apply ng 4Ps natin, basta nasa listahan ka at pasok ang konsumo mo sa limit, may diskwento ka sa kuryente.

Ngayong buwan, ipatutupad natin, kasama ng distribution utilities o DU, ang automatic registration ng lahat ng benepisyaryo ng 4Ps sa ilalim ng LRSP.

Ito ang uri ng pamahalaang ating itinataguyod. Hindi dapat ang Pilipino ang naghahabol sa tulong. Ang tulong ang dapat ang lumapit sa mga Pilipino.

Nagtakda kami ng bagong lifeline consumption threshold upang maging patas ang pagbibigay ng diskuwento, anuman ang inyong DU at lokasyon.

Kapag benepisyaryo ka ng 4Ps na nasa 50 kWh pababa ang iyong konsumo, makakakuha ka ng 100 porsyentong diskwento sa kuryente.

Para naman sa mga kababayan nating nasa poverty threshold ngunit hindi kasama sa 4Ps, at maliit lang ang konsumo sa kuryente, maaari naman kayong magparehistro sa LRSP.

At habang pinapagaan natin ang singil sa kuryente, tinutulungan nating guminhawa ang buhay ng mamamayan at pinabibilis ang landas tungo sa mas malinis na enerhiya.

These days, I see many households installing solar panels to save on electric bills. I myself in Ilocos Norte installed on our house solar panels. And what I learned based on personal experience was that it was very hard to sell excess electricity to the grid, only because the procedures were not in place. It was not an unwillingness of our electrical cooperatives to do it. It was simply because they didn’t know what to do and how to go about it, what forms to fill, what arrangements to make, how to price the credit that – from the electricity that you are putting back into the grid.

This Net-Metering program enables households now and businesses to install renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, and sell surplus electricity back to the grid—lowering their bills while contributing to the power supply.

This program has been around for more than a decade, institutionalized under Republic Act No. 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act, but the lack of clear rules and capacity-building for electric cooperatives made it so frustrating to apply for net metering.

Now, after sitting down with the Department of Energy and the ERC, we have found a way to make it easier for our people to participate in the Net-Metering program.

Upang mapadali pa ang proseso, nilagdaan ng DOE, DILG, at DPWH ang Joint Memorandum Circular na nag-uutos sa mga lokal na pamahalaan na gumamit ng standardized application form at sumunod sa itinakdang turnaround time kapag kumpleto ang mga requirements.

Kasabay nito, inutusan ng ERC ang mga DU na tapusin ang interconnection process sa loob ng 20 working days mula sa pagtanggap ng letter of interest.

Sa madaling salita: mas malinaw ang patakaran at mas mabilis ang proseso.

This Administration will continue to work hard and hand in hand with the private sector in crafting processes, policies that make electricity accessible, affordable, and reliable.

Ito ay bahagi ng ating mas malawak na misyon—isang bansang may matatag na enerhiya, malinaw na direksyon, at inklusibong pag-unlad.

In this spirit of partnership, let me recognize of course the continued support of MERALCO, our largest distribution utility, for its critical role in advancing our energy goals.

From the Terra Solar Project, which will significantly expand renewable capacity through large-scale solar and battery storage, to the electrification of remote communities and supporting our net-metering and lifeline rate programs, your initiatives help many Filipinos gain access to energy.

So ladies and gentlemen, I encourage you to take full advantage of these initiatives to secure a more stable, sustainable, and hopeful future for our families.

After all, progress in the energy sector—and in nation-building itself—rests on shared responsibility.

Together, let us fuel a Bagong Pilipinas where energy powers our industries and guides our nation towards enduring progress and sustainability.

Maraming salamat po.

Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas! [applause]

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