By Joann Villanueva | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Energy (DOE) is set to discuss with other government agencies the inclusion of more Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in the Lifeline Rate program.
DOE Secretary Sharon Garin, during the post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussion in San Juan City on Wednesday, said only around 330,000 of the 4.5 million 4Ps beneficiaries are currently enrolled in the discounted power rate program.
She attributed this to the intricacies of applying for the subsidized electricity rate program, which is intended for households consuming less than 100 kilowatt hours (kWh) every month.
To apply for the program, qualified power consumers need to submit application forms to their distribution utility (DU), along with an identification card with a signature and address covered by the DU.
Meanwhile, non-4Ps beneficiaries must secure a certification from their local Social Welfare and Development Office (SWDO) that they belong to households below the poverty threshold.
Garin noted that aside from these documents, the applicants also need to spend on their fare to go to their DUs.
She said DOE and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) will discuss with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) ways to automatically include 4Ps beneficiaries and those in the Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) for the program.
“So pagu-usapan po naman ang sistema para mapalawak po ang coverage ng lifeline rate (We will discuss the system to widen the coverage of the Lifeline Rate),” she added.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., during this fourth SONA on Monday, announced the inclusion of those included in the Listahanan as among the Lifeline Rate beneficiaries to help lower their expenses.
