House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos is seeking the passage of a measure that would provide free electricity to qualified households with low power consumption through a direct government subsidy scheme.
The proposal, filed as House Bill No. 2700 in the House of Representatives under the 20th Congress, is titled “Free Electricity for Low-Consumption Households Act.” It aims to formally recognize electricity as a basic household necessity and ensure that low-consuming families are protected from rising utility costs.
Under the bill, the State is expected to shift away from cross-subsidy systems and instead implement a more structured and government-funded support mechanism intended to be more efficient and equitable.
The measure defines an eligible household as a residential electricity consumer whose average monthly electricity use for the previous three months does not exceed 135 kilowatt-hours (kWh), or whose monthly bill does not go beyond PHP 2,000, whichever is lower, subject to certification by the relevant government agencies.
It also introduces a monthly consumption threshold, which will serve as the basis for determining eligibility. The bill states that this threshold may be revised periodically through the implementing rules and regulations, taking into account inflation, electricity pricing, and household consumption data to be determined by concerned agencies.
If enacted, the bill would establish a direct government subsidy system wherein the National Government will cover the electricity charges of eligible households that fall within the set threshold, separate from any cross-subsidy mechanism.
The proposal further identifies distribution utilities as entities authorized to operate an electric power distribution system under Republic Act No. 9136, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, as amended.
