The House of Representatives has commenced hearings on renewing the franchise for Bohol Light Company Inc. (BLCI), a joint venture between the Bohol provincial government and Primelectric Holdings Inc., media reports said Friday.
The franchise, which has operated for 25 years, is set to expire in October.
Representatives are racing against time to process the renewal before Congress adjourns on February 5, 2025.
During the committee hearing, 1st District Rep. Atty. Edgar Chatto indicated that while some Bohol mayors have proposed expanding BLCI’s service area to include additional towns, the lawmakers are still gathering stakeholder perspectives before making a final decision.
Primelectric Holdings, which holds 70 percent of the joint venture, was represented at the hearing by company CEO Roel Castro.
House Bill 10888, sponsored by Chatto and co-authored by Congresswomen Vanessa Aumentado of 2nd District and Alexie Tutor of 3rd District, seeks to grant BLCI continued rights to establish and operate an electric power distribution system in Tagbilaran City and Bohol Province.
Some Bohol officials, including Buenavista Mayor Dave Duallo, have raised issues about current power distribution services, prompting discussions about potential franchise modifications.
The bill must be transmitted to the Senate expeditiously to avoid potential procedural delays that could necessitate restarting the entire franchise renewal process in the next congressional session.
REDUCED RATE
Consumers of Bohol Light Company Inc. (BLCI) can expect lower electricity bills for January, with rates dropping by P1.17 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for residential users and P1.20 kWh for commercial customers.
According to BLCI, the new rates will be P9.50 kWh for households, down from P10.67 kWh in December, and P9.19 kWh for commercial users, compared to P10.38 kWh the previous month.
The reduction is attributed to cheaper rates in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) and the entry of a new electricity supplier, Energy Development Corp. (EDC), with which BLCI has signed a 10-year contract to purchase 12-15 megawatts of power.
BLCI noted that power rates are subject to fluctuations due to unstable prices in the WESM, which affects generation costs reflected in consumer bills.
In addition to the lower rates, BLCI customers will also receive a one-time refund of P0.1460 kWh, implemented this month, as part of the regulatory reset fees mandated by the Energy Regulation Commission (ERC) under Regulation No. 18, Series of 2024.