The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said that PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. formalized the enrollment of over 140 cell sites to the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), a significant move in support of the country’s push for energy democracy.
Outgoing ERC chairperson and CEO Monalisa Dimalanta joined key executives of PLDT, Smart, and MPower, the retail electricity supplier (RES) facilitating the shift, in a ceremonial signing at the PLDT Ramon Cojuangco Building in Makati City July 17. Both telecommunication companies will aggregate the power of more than 140 cell sites across Metro Manila, with a combined demand of over two megawatts.
Speaking at the ninth RAP event since the first switch by a water utility in February, Dimalanta highlighted how RAP not only gives consumers the power of choice, it is also about enabling choices and creating different pathways for consumers to meet their power requirements.
“Today’s event is a testament to the collective recognition by Meralco, PLDT and SMART – as providers of the basic needs of our people in modern society – that you are, as a group, stewards of a huge part of our nation’s economy and the wellbeing of our people,” she stressed in a statement.
Made possible through the ERC’s regulatory framework, RAP allows electricity end-users with multiple facilities to combine their demand and qualify for participation in the retail electricity market.
Through RAP, groups and institutions from various sectors can exercise their right to choose their electricity supplier, potentially lowering their energy costs while supporting the government’s goal of a more competitive and consumer-empowered energy sector.
Dimalanta, whose resignation will take effect on Aug. 8, meanwhile, assured the public that the ERC remains fully operational and that transition efforts are already underway.
“We will continue to function according to our mandate until such time that the new set of commissioners comes in. As long as the Commission still has three members, there is a quorum, and there is legal mandate for the Commission to function,” Dimalanta said.
Malacañang earlier announced the appointment of Atty. Francis Saturnino Juan as incoming ERC chairperson, along with lawyers Amante Liberato and Paris Real as new commissioners.
During Dimalanta’s tenure, the ERC recorded the lowest generation rates in the first quarter of 2025 since the power surge in 2022. She attributed this notable decline to improved market conditions and stricter enforcement of accountability measures across industry participants.
She also highlighted the rollout of the RAP, the ERC’s first-ever livestreamed Commission meeting, a move aimed at promoting greater transparency in regulatory processes; and the launching of a nationwide fuel cost audit in 2022, requiring utilities to justify fuel-related charges passed on to consumers.
Dimalanta said the review is ongoing and may result in refunds or penalties by the end of the year. ||
