When can the Philippines finally achieve its Marcos-era goal of total rural electrification? A bill filed by the so-called "Power Bloc" in the House of Representatives might help end this decades-long goal.

Approved by the Committee on Energy during a virtual meeting Monday was the substitute measure to House Bill (HB) No. 7060, also known as the proposed Microgrid Systems Act.

Party-list Reps. Sergio Dagooc of APEC, Presley de Jesus of Philreca, Adriano Ebcas of Ako Padayon, and Fred Guya of RECOBODA authored the measure. They are all neophyte lawmakers in the 18th Congress.

The quartet noted in the original bill's explanatory note that Presidential Decree (PD) No. 269 – signed on Aug. 6, 1973 – created the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and set 100 percent rural electrification as its mandate. "(Fifty years) have passed and the NEA is almost on its last mile in its mandate to achieve its primary objective to total rural electrification and providing access to electricity for all," it read.

"It is indisputable that electrification especially in far-flung and hard-to-reach areas poses a great challenge to various government agencies and distribution utilities. The traditional grid extension is no longer practical and economically viable to address such problem. Thus, non-traditional means and use of new technology should be resorted to," the authors stated.

"One of such is the microgrid system that can potentially provide reliable and sustainable electricity to unserved and underserved areas at a lower cost compared to the traditional grid extension which requires more resources," they said.

The measure defines microgrid system as a group of interconnected loads and DER (Distributed Energy Source) with clearly defined electrical boundaries that act as a single controllable entity with respect to the distribution, subtransmission, or transmission grid, whichever is applicable.

On the other hand, a traditional grid is a high-voltage backbone system of interconnected transmission lines, substations, and related facilities. A microgrid system can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grids tied or island mode.

"The use of microgrid systems can help accelerate the total electrification that will benefit the lives of the people and stimulate the economy of unserved and underserved areas," the authors said.

Dagooc, who headed the technical working group (TWG) that produced the substitute bill, said, "The objective of the measure is to help the government in reducing subsidies, fulfill its mandate of total electrification and reducing the cost of electricity."

In a June 5 virtual hearing of the Energy panel that was attended by the Power Bloc, NEA chief Edgardo Masongsong told lawmakers that only 1.8 million households in the country remain unenergized as of December 2019. Masongsong said this represents five percent of Philippine homes, meaning the other 95 percent have been given access to electricity.

The panel, which was then-chaired by Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, recognized that the task of energizing the countryside was more important than ever before due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, who replaced Velasco after he assumed as  Speaker last month, carried a motion to approve HB No.7060.