President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received a standing ovation during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) after calling for an immediate end to passing system loss charges on to power consumers.
Addressing a joint session of Congress, Marcos stressed that everyday Filipinos should not be financially burdened by electricity losses occurring during transmission and distribution.
“At kung pagbawas ng presyo ang usapan, sa aking palagay, panahon na parang tanggalin na natin ang systems loss na ipinapasa sa konsyumer,” the President said.
He criticized the practice of billing consumers for lost power and imposing additional taxes on those charges.
“Pinapasa ito sa consumer at kinakarga sa bill na pinapatungan pa ng value-added tax. Hindi naman kasalanan ng consumer kung bakit nagkaroon ng systems laws. Kaya hindi naman tama na kailangan sila pa ang pagbabayarin dito,” he explained.
“Therefore, we the people request, no, we demand for the immediate amendment of the EPIRA and to prohibit charging systems loss against consumers, including the value-added tax thereon,” Marcos added.
The call to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001—which currently permits distribution utilities to recover capped system losses from customers—drew widespread applause from lawmakers and government officials present.
In addition to EPIRA reform, Marcos urged Congress to pass the proposed Sariling Kuryente Act to make home solar panels and battery storage more accessible.
He also highlighted ongoing hydrogen power initiatives in Marinduque, Masbate, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Basilan, while advocating for nuclear energy to cut power costs and enhance long-term energy stability.
“Titiyakin nating ito ay ligtas. Titiyakin din nating maipaliwanag nang mabuti sa publiko ang magandang dulot sa atin ng enerhiyang nukleyar,” he added.