THE Makati Business Club (MBC) has offered to assist the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in enhancing its daily operating procedures through digitalization.
“The group offered to assist in providing ERC with information and connections to help improve its operations, including digitalization,” said MBC in a news statement released on Thursday. The statement followed a meeting with ERC Chairperson Monalisa C. Dimalanta last January 10.
MBC also expressed its support to ERC’s efforts to secure adequate and affordable electricity supply by pursuing transparent, accountable, and investment-friendly policies. The efforts include reviews of the secondary price cap mechanism, rules on open access and rules on renewable energy and storage systems.
MBC expressed support for the constant collaboration between ERC, the Department of Energy, National Transmission Co. (Transco), and industry players to find solutions to the many challenges affecting the sector. In the near term, the group said it would support the government’s efforts to prepare the public for higher prices while improving energy efficiency.
“The ERC under Atty. Dimalanta appears focused, determined, and on the right track,” MBC Chairman Edgar O. Chua said. “Amid all the challenges in the sector, it is a confidence booster that our energy officials are all knowledgeable and professional with a high sense of urgency.”
Aside from Chua, other officials who met with Dimalanta were Shell Philippines Chief Executive Officer Lorelei Osial; ACEN Corp. COO Miguel de Jesus; Aboitiz Power COO Liza Montelibano and Senior Vice President Sandro Aboitiz; National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) Assistant Vice Presidents Leonor Felipa Cynthia P. Alabanza and Giovanni Randolfo A. Galang; Terra Renewables Chief Administrative Officer Cheryll Len V. Mendoza; and Amber Kinetics technical manager Andy Dimaandal. Also joining the meeting were MBC executive director Coco Alcuaz and policy and program officer Bettina Bautista. The ERC meeting followed previous meetings with DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla on October 5, 2022 and then Transco President Rowena Cristina Guevarra on October 13, 2022.