Heeding the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address to cut red tape and deliver immediate relief to electricity consumers, the Department of Energy (DOE) convened an inter-agency meeting on Thursday, 14 August 2025, to break bottlenecks and accelerate the processing of Net Metering Program applications.
The meeting brought together the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Electrification Administration (NEA), and Meralco. The collective effort aims to remove unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, harmonize procedures, and establish a clear and predictable pathway for applicants. With these reforms, more households will be able to lower their electricity bills and generate savings by selling surplus power back to the grid, transforming everyday Filipinos from mere consumers into empowered energy producers.
In a statement: “Every day we delay is another day Filipino consumers lose the chance to reduce their electricity bills and earn from their own clean energy production. The President has made it clear: the Net Metering Program must work for the people, not against them. We will tear down the walls of red tape, set clear and uniform rules, and fast-track approvals so households can start generating and selling clean power without being buried in paperwork. We are done talking about possibilities — it is time to deliver results,” said Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin.
During the meeting, the agencies committed to reimpose and enforce existing policies with strict timelines for each stage of the application process, introduce simplified and standardized forms, and ensure that requirements remain relevant, necessary, and straightforward. These measures are expected to empower more consumers, most especially those served by electric cooperatives to participate in the program.
In support of the initiative, Meralco pledged to align its efforts with the government by streamlining the net metering process through digitization and digitalization, accreditation of solar PV installers, and standardization of solar equipment. This will reinforce the shared goal of democratizing access to renewable energy, unlocking economic and environmental benefits, and advancing nationwide efforts toward a cleaner, more sustainable power sector.
Under the Net Metering Program, electricity end-users can become “prosumers” by installing renewable energy facilities of up to 100 kilowatts (kW) within their premises. Any unused electricity generated is automatically exported to the distribution utility’s (DU) system. In return, the DU provides a peso credit for the excess electricity, equivalent to its blended generation cost (excluding other adjustments), which is then deducted from the customer’s electric bill.
As of May 2025, a total of 17,175 electricity end-users are registered under the Program, with an aggregate installed capacity of 157 MWp. However, in some franchise areas, applicants are required to submit as many as 15 documentary requirements, in addition to enduring lengthy processing times before energization. These hurdles have discouraged potential participants and delayed the program’s full potential.
One of the biggest sources of delay is the prolonged issuance of Certificates of Final Electrical Inspection (CFEI) and Electrical Permits from the local government units (LGUs). While these permits are intended solely to ensure electrical safety, they are often held up by additional, non essential requirements that have no direct relevance to electrical compliance.
The meeting underscores the government’s firm resolve to dismantle these barriers. By placing consumers at the heart of energy reform, the inter-agency effort reflects the administration’s broader vision of a people-centered energy transition, one that not only lowers household expenses but also empowers Filipinos to take an active role in producing clean and sustainable power.
