Marcos: Poor now have easier access to electricity subsidies

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced on Saturday that low-income and marginalized families can now have easier access to electricity subsidies.

The President also announced that the application process for the Net-Metering Program, which allows households to install solar panels and sell excess power to the grid faster, has been simplified.

"This administration will continue to work hard and hand in hand with the private sector in crafting processes and policies that make electricity accessible, affordable, and reliable," Marcos said during the "Collective Response to Presidential Commitments in the Energy Sector" held at the Meralco Theater in Ortigas, Pasig City.

The country’s chief executive said the Lifeline Rate Subsidy Program (LRSP) for low-income and marginalized households that have difficulty paying their electricity bills at full cost has been underutilized for a long time due to complicated requirements. 

As of November 2025, only around 334,000 consumers registered under the LRSP, which is only about 11% of the around three million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

"Ngayong buwan, ipatutupad natin, kasama ng distribution utilities o DU, ang automatic registration ng lahat ng benepisyaryo ng 4Ps sa ilalim ng LRSP," Marcos said.

(This month, we will implement, together with distribution utilities, or DU, the automatic registration of all 4Ps beneficiaries under the LRSP.)

The President also said the new lifeline consumption threshold would make applying the discount more equitable, wherein beneficiaries of 4Ps with monthly electricity consumption of 50 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or less will get a 100% discount.

Low-income families who are not covered by 4Ps but fall under the poverty threshold and have minimal electricity consumption may register with LRSP.

"Now, after sitting down with the Department of Energy and the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission), we have found a way to make it easier for our people to participate in the Net-Metering Program," Marcos said.  

To expedite the application process, the DOE, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG,) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have signed a Joint Memorandum Circular so local government units would use standardized application forms and comply with a mandated turnaround time.

The ERC also directed distribution utilities to complete the interconnection process within 20 working days from the acceptance of the letter of interest, the President said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News