In a bid to cut red tape and facilitate ease of doing business with the government, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has launched a short-term program for efficiency.
Dubbed as ERC’s 5Es, the program serves as a testament to the agency’s commitment to improving its services to Filipino electricity consumers and stakeholders.
“We are heeding the call of President Duterte to cut red tape and facilitate doing business in the government. The ERC’s 5Es is our response to the directive to improve regulation and spur economic development in the country,” ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Agnes VST Devanadera explained during their 17th anniversary celebration in Pasay City last June 27.
ERC’s 5Es stands for ERC on Wheels, ERC Academy, eWISE (ERC Web Portal for Interactive and Systematic Exchange), ERC on Emerging Technologies, and ERC Enabling Electrification.
Among the notable components of the 5Es is ERC on Wheels, which aims to provide a platform to bring the regulator closer to consumers through consultations that will be conducted all over the country, addressing concerns and encouraging customer interactions, swift resolution of complaints, continuous consumer group dialogues, and an empowered Consumer Welfare Desk (CWD).
Meanwhile, eWISE enables the automation of ERC processes for transparency and accountability toward regulatory efficiency. Through the platform, there will be automation of application filing; electronic data compilation; and ease in comparison of data submitted in different cases by the same entity, among others. The project is also expected to help realize ERC’s Zero Backlog that will address the regulator’s existing logjam, ensuring that all of the agency’s commitments and deliverables are met with professionalism and efficiency.
On the other hand, ERC Enabling Electrification intends to boost electrification through the appropriate and timely resolution of applications in unserved and unviable communities. This will entail the creation of a Specialized Task Force that will resolve dispatch applications of Qualified Third Parties (QTPs) and New Power Producers (NPPs) in these areas, enabling these entities to provide electricity service to and spur economic growth in these places.
“We have entered a new regime where consumer benefit consciousness is given utmost consideration. With the 5Es now in place, we seek to be a proactive and an enabling regulator,” Devanadera said.
