Malacañang said Congress should revisit the country’s lifeline rate system to ensure a fair and balanced distribution of electricity subsidies, amid growing consumer concerns over rising power bills.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro made the statement as Meralco customers reported noticeable increases in their electricity charges.
In a press briefing on Thursday, April 30, Castro noted that the current setup—where discounts for marginalized sectors are partly subsidized by other consumers—may need reassessment.
“Siguro ang pinakamaganda rito, mabusising muli ng Kongreso kung ano ang nararapat para magkaroon tayo ng balanced na pagtulong sa ating mga kababayan,” she said.
The lifeline rate is a government-mandated subsidy that provides discounted electricity to low-income households, including beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Under the current system, the cost of these discounts is not shouldered directly by the government but spread across other consumers through additional charges.
In the Meralco franchise area, lifeline end-users consuming zero to 20 kilowatt-hours (kWh) monthly receive a 100-percent discount on generation charges, including system loss, transmission, and distribution, except for the fixed metering fee of P5.
This means they pay only around P20 on their bills.
With rising power costs amid soaring temperatures and the ongoing energy crisis, many consumers have questioned why subsidy-related charges appear in their statements, arguing that the government—not paying customers—should fund assistance for marginalized sectors.
Castro stressed that the lifeline rate is not new, having been introduced in 2001 during the Arroyo administration and extended by subsequent governments.
She added that recent amendments have prolonged its implementation for up to 50 years. (Argyll Geducos)
