Overhaul ERC, give it more teeth â lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines â APEC party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc has suggested overhauling the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to give it more teeth and make it more efficient, as the office is currently hounded by complaints from power industry stakeholders.

In a statement on Thursday, Dagooc said the ERC should increase its manpower to address its supposed slow approval process.

According to Dagooc, the matter was discussed when the House of Representativesâ committee on Energy started deliberating the proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) of 2001.

âWe must overhaul the ERCâs system to address its inefficiencies and excessive delays, which have caused significant harm to the energy industry,â he said.

âThe ERC has been sitting on applications from generation companies or distribution utilities for too long, while it is also notorious for its slow approval process on the NGCPâs (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) critical projects,â he added.

Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1973260/overhaul-erc-give-it-more-teeth-lawmaker

By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Reporter / @GabrielLaluINQ