A Facebook page is crediting presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, for the cheap electricity bill charges in Ilocos Norte.

The claim, posted by ‘Supporters of BBM SARA’ on January 24, went viral due to the attached image of an electric bill receipt with the total of only Php. 74.64.

Marcos Jr. has yet to talk about the said claim, nor has he released any stand or campaign platform related to electricity rates.

Claim:

The post’s original caption claims that the monthly electricity bill in Ilocos Norte was cheaper during Marcos Jr.’s term as governor. The post was subsequently edited to add that the electricity rate would still depend on the consumer’s frequent usage of electrical appliances in their homes.

Rating:

FALSE

Facts & Info:

Cutting down Ilocos Norte’s electricity consumption is the purpose of the Bangui Bay Wind Farm, which is a project of the NorthWind Power Development Corporation (NPDC).

There are already other fact-check reports that already debunked the claim that Marcos Jr. is the one to thank for the Bangui Bay Wind Farm. Marcos Jr. clarified the ownership of the project to Karen Davila on Headstart in 2010. “People seem to think it’s a government project, it’s not. It’s a private commercial enterprise,” Marcos Jr. explained.

The project is often associated with Marcos Jr. due to his close ally Ferdinand Dumlao. During the latter’s time as NPDC’s chairman, he also served as Marcos Jr.’s special project director in 2004, yet Dumlao did not accomplish the project for Marcos Jr. but as NPDC’s chairman.

Meanwhile, the image of the electricity bill circulating is in fact enjoying a subsidized rate due to the “lifeline rate discount,” a rate given to marginalized households that consumes below 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh). This complies to Sec. 73 of the Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001.

MERALCO’s overall rate for a typical household for November 2021 is P9.4630 per kWh due to “high generation charges,” while Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. or INEC’s total residential rate for November 2021 is P10.4705 per kWh including generation, transmission, and distribution charges except for VAT. As such, INEC’s electricity rate is not cheaper than MERALCO’s rate.

Why it Matters:

Rappler already fact-checked a similar Tiktok post about the electricity bill in Ilocos, while Vera Files reported that the post is still making rounds on pro-Marcos pages with an estimate of 30,000 to 40,000 likes.

As of writing, the page ‘Supporters of BBM SARA’ has 53,759 likes, while the post in question has 4.9k reactions, 751 comments, and 2.1k shares. -Rome Medina & Neil Dizon

Altermidya Network is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, email info@factsfirst.ph.

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