^{(L-R) Prifood Corporation Cebu Plant General Manager Roy Yap and Assistant General Manager Enrico Yap with COREnergy Retail and Sales Head Marko Sarmiento and Manager Rodson Lumayaga.}

Cebu-based snack manufacturer Prifood Corporation has partnered with COREnergy, the retail electricity arm of Vivant Energy, to supply power to its manufacturing facilities, marking a shift toward aggregated and more flexible electricity sourcing under the government’s Retail Aggregation Program (RAP).

The agreement covers Prifood’s two plants in Mandaue City, Cebu, with a combined demand of up to 750 kilowatts (kW). By consolidating its electricity requirements across sites, the company is positioning itself to secure more competitive rates and adopt a more coordinated approach to managing energy consumption.

Prifood is among the early food manufacturers in the Visayas to formally engage a retail electricity supplier under RAP—an initiative of the Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). The program allows contestable customers, including manufacturers and commercial establishments, to aggregate demand and negotiate supply terms with licensed retail electricity suppliers.

COREnergy operates as a “gentailer,” combining generation and retail capabilities to offer integrated supply solutions. This model enables customers to align energy procurement and usage strategies with operational and cost objectives.

“For us, innovation goes beyond the product. It extends to how we run our operations,” said Enrico Yap, Assistant General Manager of Prifood Corporation. “Through this partnership, we are integrating more sustainable and smarter approaches to energy, ensuring that our growth remains both competitive and responsible.”

“At COREnergy, we were built to open doors for businesses to take control of how they use energy,” said Marko Sarmiento, COREnergy Retail and Sales Head. “Through the Power of Choice, we enable manufacturers like Prifood to align their energy strategies with their operational goals—driving productivity, profitability, and performance to support long-term growth.”

ERC has approved the reduction of the contestable market threshold from 500 kilowatts (kW) to 100 kW, with implementation set for June 2026, allowing more medium-sized enterprises to directly choose suppliers or participate in aggregation schemes such as RAP.

The policy expands eligibility beyond large industrial users, with regulators citing increased consumer choice, stronger competition, and the potential for improved pricing and service quality as key outcomes. As of latest data, over 2,300 customers have already switched suppliers under retail competition, alongside 37 retail aggregated groups with a combined demand of about 31 megawatts, indicating growing participation in the contestable market. 

How do you see RAP adoption evolving among mid-sized manufacturers in the regions—and will aggregation materially reshape power procurement strategies in the Philippine industrial sector?

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