Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos on Thursday asked the Philippine government to consider a household solar subsidy modeled on a program Thailand recently launched. He said that such a scheme could help Filipino families lower their electricity costs.
Thailand’s program has a budget of 50 billion baht, or about US$1.48 billion, and is open nationwide. It supports households that install rooftop solar photovoltaic systems. Each household can receive a subsidy of 50,000 baht (around ₱94,000), and the program aims to reach about one million households.
Bernos made the call in a news release. “This is a program worth replicating here, and I hope that our government consider implementing a similar scheme to help Filipino households save on electricity costs by shifting to solar energy,” he said.
He did not propose specific figures or a funding source for a Philippine version. He asked the government to study whether a similar subsidy program is feasible.
“I definitely think it’s worth looking at. At the very least, let’s conduct a study on the costs and benefits of such a program,” he said.
Bernos has promoted the wider use of renewable energy to reduce the country’s reliance on non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels. He is the author of House Bill 3126, also known as the On-Grid Solar Energy Systems bill. The measure would require on-grid solar energy systems in all national and local government-owned buildings and offices to lower their electricity costs.
The bill covers government buildings only. His latest proposal would extend support for solar installations to private households.
Bernos also said the benefits could go beyond household savings. “Kung makita natin na malaki ang maibabawas sa gastusin ng mga kababayan natin, at makatulong din ito sa pag-stabilize ng power supply natin para naman sa ibang industriya, hindi ba’t win-win situation ito na magiging magandang pamana ng gobyerno sa sambayanang Pilipino (If we see that this will significantly reduce the expenses of our fellow citizens and also help stabilize our power supply for other industries, isn’t this a win-win situation that would serve as a great legacy of the government for the Filipino people)?” he said.
The news release did not say whether any government agency has responded to the proposal. It also did not say whether a bill or resolution has been filed to create a household solar subsidy in the Philippines.
