TO HELP fellow Filipinos, especially those who belong to the marginalized sector, Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. (Davao Light) in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao Region (DSWD-Davao), conducted the pilot testing of the enhanced Lifeline Rate Subsidy to promote awareness and applications for Lifeline Rate as provided in Republic Act (RA) 11552.
More than 600 qualified Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4PS) beneficiaries who are also Davao Light customers applied for the program on Thursday morning, August 10, 2023, at Gem Village Gym, Maa, Davao City.
In an interview with 4Ps - Davao City Division Chief, Margie Cabido, the official emphasized that 4Ps members whose monthly electricity consumption is 100 kilowatt hour (kWh) or below are prioritized by their department to apply for the program.
“Actually, they are eligible, tanan na 4Ps beneficiaries pero ang priority gyud nato nga mu-signify katong naay mga 100 kilowatt or less than 100 kilowatt (Actually, all 4Ps beneficiaries are eligible but our priority to signify are those whose electric consumption is 100 kilowatts or below),” she said.
She clarified that even the non-4Ps beneficiaries but are living below the poverty line as established by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) with certification by the local Social Welfare Development Office (SWDO) are encouraged to apply.
“So naay uban nga more than 100 kilowatt sila, even if ingon ana ilahang bill, pwede gihapon sila, welcome gihapon sila nga mag-apply or mag enroll sa atong Lifeline Rate Subsidy. Kase posible man gud nga sa sunod nga mga bulan, pwede mubaba ilahang kuryente. So, at least, naka enroll na sila (So there are those whose electric consumption is more than 100 kilowatts, they are still welcome to apply or enroll in our Lifeline Rate Subsidy. Because it is possible that in the next few months, their electricity may go down. So, at least, they are already enrolled),” she added.
Based on the recent data provided by Davao Light, around 65,000 out of 475,000 customers are eligible for the subsidy. The Lifeline Rate provides discounts on electricity bills for qualified marginalized or low-income consumers which are based on the discount level by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for the generation, transmission, distribution, supply, metering, and systems loss charges only.
Under the new mandate, RA 11552 or an “An Act Extending and Enhancing the Implementation of the Lifeline rate, Amending for the Purpose, Section 73 of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise knowns as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001,” the program started to accept applications last May 2 and will implement the new lifeline rate subsidy guidelines on September 1, 2023.(DEF with reports from NDDU Intern, Charisse Ferolino)
