MANILA, Philippines — Only around 4.6 percent of the projected household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps will avail themselves of the electricity lifeline rate this month.
There were only 191,399 4Ps beneficiaries who registered for the program as of Dec. 15, 2023, Luningning Baltazar, director of the Electric Power Industry Management Bureau of the Department of Energy (DOE), said in a television interview, citing data from the Energy Regulatory Commission.
“Based on the list from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, we have 4.2 million 4Ps members. If we assume that every 4Ps member has electric service under their name or using electric service in their household, we expect 4.2 million to register,” Baltazar said.
Full implementatio n of the lifeline rate program, which gives discounts in the electricity bills of qualified poor households, started on Jan. 1.
“If they were able to register, the discount is automatic as long as their consumption is within the threshold,“ Baltazar said. “When they receive the bill this January, as long as their consumption is lower than the threshold, the discount will be automatically reflected in their electricity bill.”
Only 4Ps and non-4Ps members who consume no more than 100 kilowatt-hours a month and have registered with their respective distribution utilities can avail themselves of the subsidy.
The subsidy is provided under Republic Act (RA) 11552 or An Act Extending and Enhancing the Implementation of the Lifeline Rate, amending Section 73 of RA 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.
“We still enco urage them to register,” Baltazar said.
She cited several possible reasons why many 4Ps beneficiaries did not avail themselves of the program: unregistered 4Ps beneficiaries have no individual meters, find the threshold small, or are not aware of the lifeline pro gram.
The DOE reminded distribution utilities to continue accepting and processing applications for the electri city subsidy.
Disseminating information on the benefits of the program should also be continued, the department said.
MANILA, Philippines — Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Karlo Nograles has asked the country’s 1.9 million government workers to continue to innovate and improve the delivery of services to the public.
“In the face of evolving needs of our kababayans (compatriots), it is crucial that we continue to adapt and innovate. The year ahead beckons us to explore new avenues, embrace emerging technology and foster a culture of continuous improvement,” Nograles said in a New Year’s message posted on the CSC’s Facebook account yesterday.
Nograles had earlier called on civil servants to support the government’s efforts toward digital transformation in the bureaucracy.
“These changes should empower and not intimidate our civil servants. In this digital age, state workers must embrace continuous learning and upskilling to remain relevant and effective,” he said during a conference last November attended by more than 400 human resource management practitioners in national government agencies.
“We should view digital transformation as a catalyst for personal and professional growth, enabling the government workforce to deliver better public services to the citizens we serve,” Nograles added.
The CSC recently launched its Civil Service Eligibility Verification System, an online search platform that enables government agencies’ human resource officers and the general public to access civil service eligibility information.
The system allows access to the database of people who have passed the Career Service Examination-Pen and Paper Test, Computerized Examination and Computer Assisted Test.
The system also includes lists of people who were granted eligibility under special laws and CSC issuances.
The CSC, through its Civil Service Institute, is offering more than 70 online training courses on leadership and human resource management.
The courses cover various topics on leadership and human resource functions such as the Leadership and Management Certification Program, Public Service Values Program, CSI Leadership Series, Competency-based HR Program, Learning and Development Programs as well as Strategic Human Resources and Organizational Development Series.
“Let us seize these opportunities to enhance the efficiency of public service delivery. The start of 2024 should not be merely a chronological marker,” Nograles said.
“The new year is a canvass upon which we create a more responsive, inclusive and citizen-centric civil service,” he added.