By: Aliahcorr Balanon
Photo courtesy of INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Low-income and marginalized families will have easier access to electricity subsidies beginning this February 2026 after President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos announced it at the “Collective Response to Presidential Commitments in the Energy Sector” event held at the Meralco Theater on Saturday, February 14, 2026.
Under the new system, all Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries will be automatically enrolled through a data-matching system with distribution utilities.
“This month, we will implement – together with the distribution utilities or DU – the automatic registration of all 4Ps beneficiaries under the Lifeline Rate Subsidy Program (LRSP),” Marcos said.
As per President Marcos, Filipinos should not be the ones seeking help, instead, the help should come to Filipinos.
He noted that the LRSP has been underutilized for a long time due to complicated requirements.
As of November 2025, only around 334,000 are registered under the LRSP or only about 11 percent of the three million beneficiaries of the 4Ps.
The Lifeline Rate now allows 4Ps households consuming up to 50 kilowatt-hours or less per month to receive a 100 percent discount.
While low-income families outside the 4Ps program who fall under the poverty threshold and with minimal electricity consumption may register with LRSP.
President Marcos also said the application process has been simplified for the net-metering program, allowing households to install solar panels and sell excess power to the grid faster than before.
“In other words, the policy is clearer and the process is faster. This administration will continue to work hard and hand-in-hand with the private sector in crafting processes, policies that make electricity accessible,” Marcos said.
The Department of Energy (DOE), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have signed a Joint Memorandum Circular so local government units would use standardized application forms and comply with mandated turnaround time.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) also directed distribution utilities to complete the interconnection process within 20 working days from the acceptance of the letter of interest, Marcos said.
Joining the President were Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda, Meralco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Manuel V. Pangilinan, ERC Chairman and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan and other officials.
On the other hand, Pangilinan said that Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGEB) would soon energize MTerra Solar, a 3,500-megawatt solar farm in Nueva Ecija.
“We are now energizing this massive solar plant and are scheduled to sell about 85 MW of power to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) by Feb. 25,” Pangilinan said.
He also said that Meralco will be signing a $2.8 million grant from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for the conduct of a comprehensive study of the potential nuclear plants in the country.