ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- The Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Field Office reminded Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries and other marginalized end-users to register and avail of the government’s Lifeline Rate Subsidy program.

Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Field Office - Energy Industry Management Division chief Engr. Jose Rey Maleza, in a Philippine Information Agency 6's online Kapihan program, reiterated the call for the qualified household beneficiaries of the said government program.

The majority of these are registered under the Iloilo II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ILECO 2) with 2,516 composed of 2,180 4Ps beneficiaries and 336 for non-4Ps. Followed by MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE) covering Iloilo City with 2,284 – 1,509 for 4Ps and 775 non-4Ps; Aklan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AKELCO) – 972 (953 and 19); Northern Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NONECO) – 465 (all 4Ps); Iloilo I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ILECO 1) – 447 (399 and 48); Capiz Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CAPELCO) – 365 (all 4Ps); Iloilo III Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ILECO 3) – 365 (195 and 161); Antique Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ANTECO) – 188 (175 and 13); Guimaras Electric Cooperative, Inc. (GUIMELCO) – 86 (84 and 2); Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CENECO) – 45 (39 and 6); and Northern Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NONECO) – 30 (all 4Ps).

Meanwhile, in Western Visayas, based on the DSWD 6 data, 328,239 households are benefiting from the 4Ps program as of August 2023 and a total of 536,998 households are categorized as poor under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) also known as the Listahanan 3.0 of July 2022. 

These households are eligible to participate in the program as outlined in Republic Act No. 11552, which was enacted in May 2021, extending and improving the implementation of the Lifeline Rate, enabling families to qualify for the program, and ensuring they continue to receive discounts on their electricity bills.

Further, the marginalized end-users who may apply for the program are those member-consumers or customers with monthly power consumption below 100-kilowatt hours (kWh).

To apply for the Lifeline Rate program, households that are beneficiaries of 4Ps need to submit a duly accomplished application form, their most recent electricity bill, and a valid government-issued identification card (ID) that includes their signature and address to their Distribution Utilities (DUs) or Electric Cooperatives (ECs).

On the other hand, other marginalized end-users who are not part of the 4Ps beneficiaries but are part of households listed by the DSWD must provide a certification from their local Social Welfare Development Office (SWDO), issued within six months prior to the application, indicating their family income at the time of application. They also need to submit a duly accomplished form, their most recent electricity bill, and a government-issued ID with their signature and address to their DUs.

Maleza also noted that the scale of rate reduction varies depending on the prevailing rates of the distribution utilities.

For concerns and other queries, power consumers may visit the nearest DU or EC branch office or sub-station in their area.

The ERC may also be reached through their Lifeline Program hotline number (02) 8689-5372 local 5222 for Pasig City, (63) 905-343-2292 for Cebu City, or (63) 956-305-3313 for Davao City. (AAL/FRG/PIA6)