The Philippine government launched the Lifeline Rate Program in August which aims to help qualified power consumers with their electricity bill expenses.
The Lifeline Rate Program is a subsidized rate in the form of percentage discount levels granted to qualified low-income households who struggle to pay their electricity bills at full cost.
According to DOE, the beneficiaries of the said program are now determined based on two qualifications: power consumption and economic situation.
The DOE said that those who are qualified to avail of the subsidized rate are marginalized power consumers who are members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and households with monthly income below the poverty threshold set by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In Mimaropa, there are a total of 193,467 households eligible to avail of the lifeline rate according to the Listahanan 3rd Round of Household Assessment or Listahanan 3. A constant validation of the list of 4Ps members will be done annually to ensure the updating of qualified beneficiaries.
On the other hand, qualified low-income households in Mimaropa with a power consumption below 100-kilowatt hour (kWh) can also apply for the Lifeline Rate Program.
Among the Distribution Utilities (DUs) and electric cooperatives in the region are the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. (ORMECO), Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (OMECO), Romblon Electric Cooperative Inc. (ROMELCO), Marinduque Electric Cooperative Inc. (MARELCO), and the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO).
The registration and application period for the Lifeline Rate Subsidy Program has been extended to September this year in order to accommodate more beneficiaries. (GATS/PIA MIMAROPA)
