The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at enhancing public awareness of energy regulations and power rates, as well as encouraging consumer participation in the ERC processes.
Under the MOU, the PIA will assist the ERC in planning and implementing communication strategies, producing information, education, and communication (IEC) materials, and expanding the reach of consumer education initiatives on electricity rates, policies, and consumer rights.
ERC Chairperson and CEO Atty. Francis Saturnino Juan said the collaboration is a crucial step toward improving public understanding of energy regulation, which directly affects households, businesses, and communities.
“While energy regulation is highly technical, its effects are profoundly felt in everyday life,” Juan noted.
“For regulation to genuinely benefit the public, it must first be comprehensible to them.”
“For regulation to genuinely benefit the public, it must first be comprehensible to them. Our collaboration with the PIA enables us to transform intricate energy regulations into messages that are clear, relatable, and empowering,” he stressed.
Juan added that the agreement supports the ERC’s broader reform agenda anchored on transparency, accountability, and consumer protection.
“When people have access to information, they gain the power to exercise their rights, engage effectively in discussions, and support reforms that ensure everyone has access to dependable, cost-effective, and sustainable electricity.”
“When people have access to information, they gain the power to exercise their rights, engage effectively in discussions, and support reforms that ensure everyone has access to dependable, cost-effective, and sustainable electricity,” he emphasized.
Under the agreement, the PIA will also provide capacity-building support through resource speakers, cross-posting of major ERC press releases, and event and media coverage, subject to agency guidelines and resource availability.
In turn, the ERC will provide technical resource persons for knowledge-sharing sessions, briefings, and press conferences to help deepen public understanding of energy costs, pricing mechanisms, and regulatory processes.
The partnership reflects a whole-of-government approach to public communication, ensuring that vital information on energy regulation and consumer protection reaches communities nationwide more effectively.
“This MOU is not just a formal agreement—it is a shared commitment to serve the Filipino people through credible, inclusive, and responsive public information,” Juan concluded.
