Saan Umabot ang Bente Mo: EPIRA 20 Years After

The analysis provided in this book is not just relevant for policymakers but also for citizens, energy sector professionals, and other stakeholders who are affected by the state of the Philippine power industry. The ongoing issues highlighted in these studies reflect the pressing need for reforms that can lead to more equitable, reliable, and affordable energy for all Filipinos.

Key Points:

• High Electricity Costs and Energy Poverty: Despite EPIRA's objectives, many Filipinos still pay some of the highest electricity rates in Southeast Asia, with energy poverty remaining a critical issue, especially in rural areas.
• Concentration of Power: The studies reveal how EPIRA has resulted in the concentration of control over the power sector in the hands of a few large conglomerates, leading to an oligopolistic market structure that stifles competition.
• Impact on Future Energy Policy: With the transition towards renewable energy and sustainable practices becoming increasingly important, this assessment offers data-driven recommendations for the future of energy policy in the Philippines.

James Matthew B. Miraflor previously worked as a statistician at the Asian Development Bank, the International Labour Organization, and the Philippine Statistics Authority, as well as a poverty policy consultant at the United Nations Development Programme and the National Anti-Poverty Commission. He completed his master's coursework in economics and computer science at UP. His research interests include economic complexity and wealth distribution.

Maitet Diokno has worked in various non-government organizations in the Philippines and in Asia. She holds a degree in economics from the University of the Philippines and two masteral degrees: in economics, from the University of London, and in social enterprise development, from the Ateneo de Manila University. For more than 10 years, she ran a company that processed fiber and peat from coconut husks. More recently she worked with farmers in Mindanao to produce chips from coconut husks, helping them develop this business into a viable and sustainable social enterprise. Maitet has also been an ardent student of the electricity sector in the Philippines through an organization she co-founded called the Center for Power Issues and Initiatives (CPII). She has most recently been researching energy poverty, particularly as this impacts on Filipino women. She and her colleagues at the CPII have been advocating for renewable energy as a means to address energy poverty and democratize the electricity sector in local communities. The CPII has worked with urban poor communities for the solarization of their housing, and is pushing for a law to support the financing of solarized housing for the poor.

Melba V. Tutor is a monitoring and impact evaluation specialist who has worked on various projects with government and international organizations. She completed a Master in Development Economics at the University of the Philippines School of Economics and is currently taking her PhD in Development Studies at the University of the Philippines Los Banos. Her research interests are poverty, agrarian reform and rural transformation, human capital development, and rural electrification.

Ted Aldwin E. Ong is a freelance writer and activist based in Iloilo City, Philippines. He has served the Freedom from Debt Coalition (Iloilo Chapter) in various capacities and led its power sector campaigns and legal engagement from 2000 to 2020, marking a period of unprecedented victories for Ilonggo consumers. He became a fellow of the Center for Power Issues and Initiatives in 2013.

Wilson Fortaleza is holding leadership positions in Partido Manggagawa (PM) and Nagkaisa, the country’s biggest coalition of trade unions and labor organizations. He is also a fellow at the Center for Power Issues and Initiatives (CPII) and Board Member of the Center for Empowerment, Innovation and Training on Renewable Energy (CENTRE). He writes a regular column in a local newspaper in Romblon, and from time to time, contributes articles to national news outlets on various issues.