Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson and CEO Atty. Francis Saturnino Juan capped his first 100 days in office with reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, accelerating regulatory processes, and improving service for electricity consumers.
Juan, who assumed office on August 11, said his vision of a “New ERC” is focused on streamlined procedures, stronger technical capability, and a renewed culture of public service.
“Our mission is straightforward: to regulate the power industry in a way that is effective, efficient, and prioritizes the welfare of consumers.”
“Our mission is straightforward: to regulate the power industry in a way that is effective, efficient, and prioritizes the welfare of consumers,” the ERC chief said.
The ERC head’s leadership has focused on addressing a major backlog: the decade-long delay in the rate reset process for private distribution utilities (PDUs) under the performance-based regulation (PBR) framework. He helped craft and directed the implementation of the Rationalized Rules for Setting Distribution Wheeling Rates (RRDWR), to facilitate the restart of the reset process for all PDUs.
“We start on a clean slate so that future rate-setting under the PBR becomes forward-looking once more, where the distribution rates will be set using forecasts of efficient costs and sound regulatory principles,” he said.
The ERC also acted to sustain the renewable energy (RE) sector, approving a new Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) rate in November 2025 to ensure timely payment to RE developers, including small and large hydropower plants.
“This decision strikes a careful balance.”
“This decision strikes a careful balance—supporting the growth of renewable energy the country needs, while keeping electricity rates affordable for Filipino households and businesses,” Juan said.
The ERC likewise simplified net metering procedures to four core requirements and standardized rules across DUs, allowing households and businesses to avail of the benefits of the Net Metering Program with ease.
Aside from the approved resolutions on PBR, FIT-All, and net metering rules amendments, the ERC initiated the development of other key resolutions.
These include the rules to govern the review process for the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreements (ASPAs) procured by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which are essential to maintaining grid stability by ensuring reserves for power interruptions, voltage regulation, and rapid restoration after outages, and the proposed resolution to expand the coverage of the Lifeline Program, in response to the call of the President during his last State of the Nation Address.
Under this proposed resolution, the ERC will redesign the Lifeline Rate Program to turn it into a national scheme that grants free electricity to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries and other qualified marginalized end-users consuming 50 kWh and below.
The ERC also approved the amended rules governing the implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) by DUs. The AMI framework enables real-time consumption data, automated billing, outage detection, and remote service management. It will facilitate the roll out by the DUs of their respective Smart Grid programs to further modernize and automate their systems to be able to offer improved and more reliable services to their customers.
In addition, the ERC updated the rules on the Public Offering Requirement (POR), rationalizing its implementation and enforcement for all power generation companies and DUs. The POR mandates that energy firms sell at least 15% of their ownership to the public, either through listing with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) or through other approved mechanisms within five years from issuance of their license. Under the amended rules, their five-year compliance period shall start only when they would already possess all the requisites for public listing with the PSE.
The ERC has also approved a landmark ruling to lower the eligibility threshold for participation in the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) and the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP) from 500 kilowatts (kW) to 100 kW average monthly peak demand to take effect on 26 June 2026, paving the way for more medium-sized enterprises and institutions to directly choose their own electricity suppliers or aggregate their demand under the RAP.
In a critical intervention in August 2025, the Commission ended the frequent and prolonged blackouts in Siquijor after it decided to cancel the permit to operate issued to the island’s lone power supplier. The ERC coordinated with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to license a replacement supplier, allowing it to operate immediately upon cessation of the previous generation supplier’s operations, thereby preventing an island-wide outage.
Quantitatively, the ERC has surpassed all previous records on the number of decisions, orders, and licenses issued. These include decisions on various Power Supply Agreement (PSA) and ASPA applications, Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) Applications, Market Fees for Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), Point-to-Point Applications, rate cases, and other applications pertaining to National Power Corporation (NPC) and the off-grid areas. In a span of three months, the Commission issued a staggering 186 decisions and final orders; 348 provisional authorities and interim reliefs; and 2,575 licenses, including Certificates of Compliance (COC) and Retail Electricity Supplier (RES) permits.
Meanwhile, the agency advanced organizational strengthening efforts by submitting its position paper on the ERC restructuring bills to Congress. It is finalizing its reorganization proposal to the Executive Branch for submission early next year to include a proposal for an improved compensation plan for its staff.
Addressing the ERC staff, Juan said: “Ang mahalaga, umarangkada tayo. We use these next few years to fix what needs fixing, streamline what needs streamlining, and lay down the groundwork for the future. Kapag ayos na ang lahat, dun na lang tayo mamahinga.”
The ERC aims to sustain this momentum and remains committed to transparency, efficiency, and service to the Filipino people as it enters a new era of regulatory governance.
