Sen. Gatchalian bats for ERC's own charter

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for the creation of a charter that would govern and strengthen the mandate of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

In a statement on Saturday, Gatchalian said having its own charter would give the ERC "more teeth" in addressing the energy industry’s issues.

Gatchalian has filed Senate Bill No. 487, An Act Enhancing The Governance Structures Of The Energy Regulatory Commission. 

If enacted into law, the proposed measure would provide ERC with more authority to regulate various stakeholders in the energy sector.

"The birth of ERC came about because of EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001). But if you read EPIRA, there is much room for improvement especially given recent developments in the industry, so I am going to push for the creation of ERC charter," Gatchalian said, adding he has already discussed the issue with Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta and they all agreed on the need to revisit the powers of the ERC.

"ERC is one of the most important actors in the energy sector, so we have to make sure that it has enough power to penalize," the senator said.

He added that as a regulator, ERC plays an important role in ensuring that the interests of consumers are protected, and its governance structure should foster independence, transparency, and accountability.

According to Gatchalian, the proposed creation of the ERC Charter also bodes well with another proposed piece of legislation that aims to rightsize the government bureaucracy. —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News