Former legislator Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna on Tuesday criticized the Marcos administration’s continued reliance on energy privatization and market liberalization, pointing to recent government data showing that the Philippines now has the highest power rates in Southeast Asia. Zarate argued that the country’s staggering electricity costs are the direct result of neoliberal policies, particularly the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, which he said dismantled state control and handed public energy resources over to private corporations.
Data from the Department of Energy revealed that the nationwide average power rate reached 12.43 pesos per kilowatt hour in June, surpassing Singapore’s average rates. The Visayas grid experienced the steepest impact, where residential rates reached up to 16.57 pesos per kilowatt hour, reflecting a 32 percent month-on-month increase. Zarate noted that frequent red and yellow power alerts, alongside forced plant outages, force distributors to buy expensive power from the spot market and pass those extra costs directly onto consumers.
Warning of potential future price hikes driven by global fuel volatility and Middle East tensions, the former lawmaker called on the government to dismantle the privatized energy framework. Zarate urged the state to abandon market-driven policies, reclaim public control over critical energy infrastructure, and invest directly in publicly owned renewable energy to shield citizens from corporate profit motives and global price shocks.
