By PR | 10:15 PM September 24, 2026
Bohol Light Company Inc. (BLCI) explained the expected impact of a regional price cap on Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) charges during a media press conference on September 22, 2026.
During the press conference at Panda Tea, BLCI discussed Order No. 2026-048 MC, issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which mandates the implementation of a Regional Secondary Price Cap (SPC) on a per-region basis.
The measure covers the Visayas and Mindanao grids, where WESM prices experienced significant increases amid tight power supply conditions.
It requires the recomputation of applicable WESM charges to provide corresponding reductions and credit adjustments to affected consumers.
BLCI said the reduction applies specifically to the WESM component of generation charges and does not cover the entire electricity bill.
Generation charges generally account for about 50 percent to 70 percent of a standard electricity bill, while the WESM component typically represents around 10 percent to 20 percent of the total bill.
The Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) scheduled the release of recomputed data for individual distribution utilities on September 20, 2026.
The resulting adjustments will determine the actual reduction applicable to each distribution utility.
BLCI said electricity supply used during the August 2026 billing cycle is subject to the recomputation, with the corresponding credit adjustments and rate reductions expected to appear in September 2026 billing statements.
Power supply used during the July 2026 billing period, however, is not covered by the order and remains unaffected.
BLCI emphasized that the actual monetary reduction will vary depending on the distribution utility and the computations provided by IEMOP.
The regional SPC is intended to provide relief from elevated WESM prices brought about by severe generation supply constraints in the Visayas and Mindanao grids.
In connection to this, the provincial government of Bohol,under the leadership of Gov. Aris Aumentado, continues to support efforts that strengthen the province’s energy resilience amid power supply challenges.
