Lifeline electricity beneficiaries have until the end of the year to register and benefit from the subsidy program, the Department of Energy (DOE) said on Tuesday.
Its mandatory registration lapsed at the end of August but the DOE, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said quite a number of marginalized but qualified Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) have yet to enroll with program.According to the
DOE, of the 4.2 million 4Ps beneficiaries, only 47,171 took the trouble to enroll themselves as at 30 August this year from as few as 12,900 a month earlier.
The DOE reiterated that registration is required to continue enjoying the discounts on electricity bills.
For instance, lifeline beneficiaries within the Meralco franchise area with zero to 20 kilowatt-hours of monthly consumption are granted a full discount on the generation charge, including system loss, transmission and distribution except for the fixed metering charge of P5.
This means lifeline beneficiaries only pay more or less P20 in their monthly electric bills.
Other marginalized end-users who are not 4Ps beneficiaries but belong to a household of at least five members and have a combined monthly income of P12,030, must submit a certification from the local social welfare office showing their family income.