DOE, DSWD, ERC issue reso for automatic registration of 4Ps beneficiaries in power discount program

The Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) have issued a resolution institutionalizing the automatic registration and availment of qualified Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households to the power discount program.

In a news release on Friday, the DOE said the Joint Resolution No. 01, Series of 2026, adopts the “Supplementary and Amendatory Framework for the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11552 or the Act Extending and Enhancing the Implementation of the Lifeline Rate,” which will be operationalized through a data sharing scheme among the three signatory agencies.

Under the Supplementary IRR, all qualified 4Ps beneficiaries included in the latest DSWD-certified list shall be automatically registered under the Lifeline Rate and Subsidy Program (LRSP), subject to data matching with customer records of distribution utilities (DUs).

Where discrepancies are minor or clerical, DUs are required to undertake further validation to support inclusion.

Manual registration will remain available in cases of substantial or unresolvable discrepancies, and for other qualified marginalized end-users not covered by the 4Ps, as provided for under Republic Act No. 11552.

While registration under the LRSP is automatic, the actual grant of the lifeline subsidy remains subject to compliance with the monthly electricity consumption threshold set by the ERC, according to the DOE.

The lifeline rate is a  subsidy on monthly electricity bills granted to low-income households and marginalized end-users that have difficulty paying their electricity bills at full cost, as provided under Section 73 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

Republic Act No. 11552 further strengthened this social protection mechanism by clearly identifying qualified beneficiaries, which include households covered by the 4Ps.

The ERC announced Friday it adopted a uniform national lifeline consumption threshold of 0 to 50 kilowatt-hour (kWh), which entitled qualified marginalized end-users to a 100% discount on applicable electricity charges within this consumption level.

For DUs with existing ERC-approved thresholds above 50 kWh, current discount structures for higher consumption levels will continue to apply.

“In his State of the Nation Address, the President directed the government to expand the lifeline rate subsidy so that more economically disadvantaged Filipinos can afford electricity,” said Energy Secretary Sharon Garin.

“This Joint Resolution is our concrete response to that directive. By automating and simplifying registration for qualified 4Ps households, we are reducing red tape and helping ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most --- faster, fairer, and at scale,” said Garin. — BAP, GMA Integrated News