A cheaper way to cut Philippine electricity rates may not be another power plant, substation, or transmission line. It may be using our existing grid more efficiently.

According to the World Bank's Midyear 2026 Philippines Economic Update, implementing the energy plan on schedule could lower residential electricity rates in Luzon by about 28 percent by 2030, boost GDP by more than 1 percent and create 161,000 jobs.

Newspaper reports have highlighted outages at Therma South Unit 2 and GNPower Kauswagan Units 1–2 in Mindanao, and TVI Unit 1 in the Visayas, putting the Mindanao and Visayas grids in a precarious situation.

In June and July 2024, electric cooperatives in Western and Eastern Visayas were hit with line rental charges of as much as P5.67 per kilowatt-hour, according to a resolution filed in the House of Representatives by power sector party-list representatives. Three years earlier, when an NGCP submarine cable failed, Iloilo’s power distributor owed P66 million in a single month, about P1.54 per kilowatt-hour landing on households that had nothing to do with a broken cable.

President Marcos has asked Congress to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) so consumers no longer shoulder systems loss charges. Fair enough—but systems loss accounts for only about 5 percent of a typical electricity bill.

The Philippine Supreme Court has settled something that the electricity industry long treated as settled in the opposite direction: distribution utilities do not hold exclusive franchises.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has moved decisively toward a more competitive electricity market. Through Resolution No. 22, Series of 2025, the Commission lowered the eligibility threshold for the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) and Retail Aggregation Program (RAP) from 500 kilowatts (kW) to 100 kW of average monthly peak demand.

The House of Representatives has ordered a probe into the NGCP over the red and yellow alerts that swept Luzon and the Visayas in mid-May. Expect months of hearings, sound bites, and very little clarity. This is because investigating NGCP to explain these alerts is, with respect, an exercise in futility.

The fuel supply crisis in the Philippines demands more than short-term fixes and inventory reports. The country needs a structured, systemic response rooted in proven energy-sector frameworks developed decades ago.