System loss charge on an electricity bill (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The House Committee on Energy has approved on Monday, Oct. 12 the substitute bills and the corresponding committee reports of measures seeking to free consumers from paying for system loss, and to liberalize power generation down to the consumer level.
A total of 43 House bills (HBs) and two House resolutions were filed seeking to end the practice of passing on to Filipino consumers the costs of inefficiencies arising from non-technical energy losses.
President Marcos identified the issue as a matter for legislative priority in his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 2026. This caused the House of Representatives to spring into action.
Speaker Isabela 6th district Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos authored HB No. 10430, one of the measures filed as a response to the matter. The committee began to tackle tje measure in early August.
The bill, if and when enacted into law, would “provide meaningful relief to Filipino consumers by eliminating a charge that should properly be borne by the entities responsible for managing and operating the (electricity) distribution network".
Cagayan de Oro 1st district Rep. Lordan Suan, who filed a similar bill in HB No.10299, described the practice of passing on the system loss burden to a captive market as "unfair".
“It is unjust to pay for electricity you do not consume,” he said, echoing Marcos' words on the issue. He adding that this ran contrary to the principles of business efficiency and accountability.
The energy panel chaired by Palawan 2nd district Rep. Jose Alvarez also approved a substitute bill promoting the use of power generation and storage systems in households. It is seen to take advantage of advances in solar and energy storage technologies.
The proposed “Sariling Kuryente Act” seeks to reduce household electricity expenses, lessen dependence on the electric grid, and improve the country’s overall power supply.
Under the measure, regulatory requirements for the safe installation and operation of power generation and storage systems for non-commercial purposes would be simplified to promote wider public access to and use of existing and emerging energy technologies.
Proponents of the measure said “unnecessary procedures and restrictions” hinder nationwide adoption, discouraging “investments that could otherwise benefit households, enterprises and the country as a whole".
Both bills seek to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001.
