Govt gives low priority to supporting the purchasing power of Filipinos–IBON

January 5, 2023

December inflation has pushed the family living wage (FLW) for a family of five to an average of Php1,146 nationwide. The average daily nominal wage of Php404 nationwide is just one-third (35.3%) of the nationwide FLW. In the National Capital Region (NCR), the FLW for a family of five rose to Php1,145. The daily nominal wage in NCR is however not even half (49.8%) this.

A history of power rate hikes and price rigging

February 12, 2019

Consumers to pay big business, foreign firms’ income tax under Duterte bill

October 20, 2017

By Arnold Padilla (Released at the launch of consumer network Samahan at Ugnayan ng Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI)) When President Rodrigo Duterte told striking jeepney drivers and operators “Magtiis kayo sa hirap at gutom”, he could be as well speaking to all poor Filipinos who struggle with ever-rising cost of electricity, water and […]

 Prepaid electricity: Neoliberal “users pay” at its worst

February 9, 2017

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) recently said that it aims to expand its prepaid customers by 100,000 from the current 40,000 this year. Kuryente Load (KLoad), the utility giant’s prepaid electricity service, is presently available in Mandaluyong, Manila, Pasig, and parts of Rizal. Meralco now plans to offer KLoad to customers in Caloocan, Makati, Marikina, Pasay, Pateros, […]

64% of Filipinos had trouble paying for electricity—IBON Survey

November 21, 2016

​IBON’s latest survey showed that many Filipinos had trouble meeting expenses on electricity and water in the recent months. Asked how their family met expenses on electricity and water in the past three months, six of ten said they had trouble meeting electricity expenses while many said they had trouble meeting water expenses. Sixty-four percent […]

Repeal EPIRA: PH power rates double in 15 years–IBON

June 9, 2016

Research group IBON said that fifteen years of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) has only strengthened corporations’ monopoly of the Philippine power industry, and burdened consumers with high power rates. The group, a member of the POWER alliance, said that EPIRA must be repealed. EPIRA or Republic Act (RA) 9136 was enacted in […]

EPIRA: Failed promise of affordable electricity

June 8, 2011

Today marks the 10th year of the EPIRA, the law that was built on the premise that privatizing the power sector and giving play to `free market’ forces would compel firms to compete in terms of lower electricity prices. (Part One of a two-part series on EPIRA’s 10 years) (Part Two: A decade of EPIRA: […]