ERC signals planned overhaul of regulatory practices via benchmarking exercise with regional counterparts

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said on Tuesday that it will consult with counterpart regulators in the region to determine best practices en route to reforming its rule-drafting and enforcement process.

“We can do exchange programs with other regulators in the region so that they can learn from us, and we can learn from them. ERC will carry a badge of professionalism and unmatched understanding of the energy industry,” new ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Monalisa C. Dimalanta said in a statement.

Ms. Dimalanta said that the consumers and the industry will be the agency’s top priority and promised to make the ERC the “most trusted government agency” in the Philippines. 

“Don’t take it personally if I ask questions, if I challenge you. It is not to prove that I’m right and you’re wrong. Our work demands it; our people deserve nothing less than the best decision that we can make, and we can only arrive at the best decisions if we question each other and challenge one another,” she said. 

Ms. Dimalanta is the seventh chairperson of ERC, replacing Agnes V.S.T. Devanadera, who retired last month.

Ms. Dimalanta has served as compliance officer for Aboitiz Power Corp., a post she relinquished after joining the ERC. Between 2020 and 2021 Ms. Dimalanta also chaired the National Renewable Energy Board. — Ashley Erika O. Jose