During a Senate Committee on Energy hearing, Senator Erwin Tulfo raised strong concerns regarding local government officials failing to settle their electricity accounts.
He cautioned that these unpaid balances risk being transferred onto regular electric utility customers as non-technical system losses.
Expressing frustration over mayors, governors, and other local figures dodging utility costs, Tulfo criticized the unfair practice:
“What in the world is that?… Dahil si mayor, si governor hindi nagbabayad, so pasan-pasan ng tao, ‘yun po ‘yung masakit eh.”
Tulfo clarified that delinquent payments are categorized under non-technical system losses, which utilities recover directly from monthly consumer bills.
While conceding that such charges might represent a minor fraction of overall bills, he stressed that the issue centers on fundamental fairness:
“It doesn’t matter if it’s 1%, 2%. Pero yung prinsipyo po ng ordinaryo mamamayan, na magbabayad siya, na hindi naman niya kasalanan. Yun po yung masakit.”
The lawmaker also highlighted the pervasive influence local officials hold over regional power distribution utilities. Pointing out the deep-rooted political ties within the sector, Tulfo suggested passing new legislation to strip politicians of control over electric cooperatives:
“This is reality, yung mga electric cooperatives natin, owned by politicians.”
Responding to the inquiry, National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda confirmed that the agency has repeatedly dealt with political figures defaulting on power payments.
Almeda noted that a substantial portion of his early tenure was spent helping electric cooperatives recover delinquent funds from influential figures.
To curb the problem, the NEA stepped in directly to warn non-paying officials that their inaction threatens the operational stability of local cooperatives.
Almeda revealed that he explicitly instructed distribution facilities to cut power service to defaulting politicians:
“May mga politiko yung pinutulan namin.”
According to Almeda, these disconnections—which prompted several affected politicians to reach out directly—have led to a marked drop in delinquent accounts across the board.
Reiterating his call for systemic reforms to protect electricity consumers from absorbing external debts, Tulfo emphasized:
“The Filipino people are tired. Bakit mo kami sisingilin sa hindi namin nagamit, hindi namin kasalanan?”