ERC vows to reinforce power sector oversight
THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) vowed on Thursday to strengthen its supervision of the Philippine power industry to serve its stakeholders better.
In a statement, ERC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Agnes Devanadera said she had ordered that all the commission’s rules impacting consumers be reviewed and amended, if needed, “to ensure that the consumers’ welfare are promoted and protected.”
“As we strengthen the ERC’s processes, we will also make sure that our policies are robust and legally defensible,” she added.
The commission aims to ensure this by implementing its short-term “ERC’s 5Es” program, aimed at cutting red tape and improving its services.
The 5Es are ERC on Wheels, ERC Academy, ERC Web Portal for Interactive and Systematic Exchange (eWISE), ERC on Emerging Technologies, and ERC Enabling Electrification.
The first is a mobile platform for the agency to hold consultations with consumers and address their electricity-related concerns.
The second aims to increase knowledge and capacities in the industry, reinforce the regulator’s capacity-building, and provide updates on new policy directions.
The third shall automate the filing of applications and compiling of data, compare data submitted in various cases more easily, generate reports of regulatory policies, and modify its paperless internal system.
The fourth plans to familiarize stakeholders with the impact of advance technologies on the provision of electricity. The agency plans to promulgate rules for them.
The fifth aims to fast-track electrification by resolving applications from unserved or unviable areas more quickly. It entails the creation of a task force for this purpose.
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