The Senate approved the P1.127-billion budget of the Energy Regulatory Commission for 2023, underscoring the need to equip the regulator with resources to complete its priority projects to increase transparency and accountability in the power sector.
The ERC budget for 2023 is the highest appropriation allocated to the agency since its creation in 2001.
The Senate also commended the ERC for realigning the confidential fund in the budget of the office of the chairperson and chief executive.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III said ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta distributed the amount to particular lines in its budget.
“The ERC appreciates the support of both Houses of Congress for our 2023 budget. The increase in our budget received from both Houses is a testament to the renewed confidence in and a challenge to us at ERC,” Dimalanta said.
“Over the past three months, we have taken it as our mission in the commission to conscientiously and diligently present our programs to the legislative bodies while at the same time delivering results that would impact positively in the lives of the Filipino people,” Dimalanta said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the sponsor of the Energy Budget in the plenary, said the ERC is a very important office “because it’s our regulator and is supposed to protect the interests of consumers and protect the interests of the Filipino people.”