Batasan Hills, Quezon City — The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. (PHILRECA) expressed its full support for the House Committee on Energy’s approval of several priority energy sector reforms discussed during its hearing held on October 10, 2025, at the House of Representatives.

 

The approved bills at the Committee level were under the subjects such as strengthening the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), advancing energy storage systems, and recognizing and protecting line workers in the electric power industry.

 

For ERC strengthening, the Committee approved House Bill Nos. 855, 1555, 2901, and 4147, which PHILRECA welcomed the bills’ approval for a more responsive ERC that will help distribution utilities, especially electric cooperatives (ECs), to achieve regulatory compliance and sustain efficient operations in rural areas.

 

Among the approved bills is also the House Bill No. 865, which recognizes the potential of advancing energy storage systems in improving power reliability and renewable energy integration.

 

Lastly, the Committee also approved for the bills on the welfare and recognition of line workers namely bills declaring the first Monday of August as the National Line Workers Appreciation Day under House Bill Nos. 867 and 3225, and bills proposing mandatory insurance coverage and benefits for line workers under House Bill Nos. 868 and 2399, subject to style and further amendments.

 

Majority of the approved bills were authored by the Power Bloc representatives namely Hon. Sergio C. Dagooc of APEC Party-list and PhilRECA Party-list.

 

PHILRECA strongly supported the insurance coverage proposal, underscoring the line workers’ exposure to daily occupational risks that require institutionalized protection as they serve as our frontliners, especially in the times of calamities.

 

“Our line workers are an integral part of our operations, and they work under very dangerous conditions. . . In fact, we would like to thank our electric cooperatives for deploying around 389 line workers during the recent typhoons. . .[so these] measures are very important to provide the right kind of protection for our linemen,” PHILRECA said.

 

In view of the high-risk nature of lineworkers’ job, Hon. Rufus Rodriguez sought for the inclusion of hazard pay provisions on top of the provided insurance coverage. The said proposal is still subject for review of the Committee members.

 

Moving forward, PHILRECA remains steadfast in its support to the refinement of these bills, and continues its involvement and participation to ensure that the final consolidated versions of the bills address the realities faced by electric cooperatives and their workforce.