Sen. Erwin Tulfo on Tuesday filed a bill seeking to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to prevent system loss charges from being passed on to electricity consumers, along with a resolution calling for an investigation into the fees.

Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, also proposed exempting consumers from paying value-added tax (VAT) on system loss charges. In a separate measure, he pushed for the repeal of the existing energy tax law.

The proposed legislation aims to ease the financial burden on consumers by removing charges tied to losses in power distribution, including both technical losses and non-technical losses such as electricity pilferage, which are currently reflected in power bills.

Under the resolution, the Senate is urged to conduct an inquiry into the continued imposition of system loss charges, with the goal of identifying policy reforms that would protect consumers from additional electricity costs.

The initiative comes amid renewed calls in Congress to revisit EPIRA, the 2001 law that restructured the country’s power industry.

Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said amending EPIRA would help reduce electricity rates, as removing system loss charges is expected to lower overall consumer bills.

The proposed measures are expected to be taken up in upcoming Senate deliberations as lawmakers push for reforms aimed at easing electricity costs nationwide.