Senator Win Gatchalian has once again pressed for the immediate issuance of the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) for the “Murang Kuryente Act,” saying that the delay denies ordinary Filipinos of having cheap electricity.

The law was created to make electricity more affordable to consumers by removing the National Power Corporation’s (NPC) stranded debts and costs (Universal Charge for Stranded Debts or UCSD and Universal Charge for Stranded Contract Costs or UC-SCC) that are passed on to consumers and reflected in the monthly electricity bill.

Gatchalian explained that each Filipino household is currently paying ₱0.09 per kilowatt hour for UCSD and UCSCC in the electricity bill. Aside from this, consumers are expected to pay additional Php 0.86 per kilowatt hour for UCSCC and UCSD. But with the enactment of the Murang Kuryente Act, consumers will no longer pay the additional cost.

Those consuming 200 kWh per month, for instance, can save Php 172 per month or Php 2,064 per year, equivalent to three to four kilos of rice per month or a sack of rice per year.

Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and co-author of the law, pointed out that the law should have taken effect starting December last year if only an IRR had been issued. He added that the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Finance (DOF) should have already issued the IRR in November 27 last year or 90 days after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the law.

“Dapat Disyembre pa lang ay wala na sa bill ng kuryente ang UCSD at SCC. Ibig sabihin, dapat sana ay bumaba na ang bill sa kuryente ngayong buwan”, said Gatchalian.

“The more that we are delaying the issuance of the IRR, the more we are denying Filipinos of having cheaper electricity. This is a total disservice to our constituents,” the lawmaker stressed.