President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday called on Congress to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), pushing for the removal of “system loss” charges that are currently passed on to electricity consumers.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said the practice of charging consumers for power losses in the distribution system is unfair, especially as it is further burdened by value-added tax.

“Kung pagbawas ng presyo ang usapan, sa aking palagay panahon na para tanggalin na natin ang systems loss na pinapasa sa consumer,” Marcos said.

“Pinapasa ito sa consumer at kinakarga sa bill, na pinapatungan pa ng value-added tax. Hindi naman kasalanan ng consumer kung bakit nagkaroon ng systems loss.”

System loss refers to electricity lost due to technical inefficiencies or non-technical factors such as pilferage during transmission and distribution. Under current regulations, a portion of these losses is allowed to be recovered by utilities from consumers.

Marcos argued that consumers should not bear the cost of inefficiencies in the power system.

“Hindi naman tama na kailangan sila pa ang pagbabayarin dito,” he said.

The president went further, calling for urgent legislative action to address the issue.

“Therefore, we, their people, request — no, we demand — the immediate amendment of EPIRA and to prohibit charging system loss against consumers, including the value-added tax thereon,” Marcos said.

The proposal forms part of the administration’s broader push to ease the financial burden on households amid rising living costs, with electricity prices remaining a key concern for Filipino consumers.