House panel approves substitute bill amending Epira law

The House Committee on Energy on Tuesday approved a substitute measure amending the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira).

Party-list Rep. Michael Angelo Rivera of 1-Care, presiding chairman of the energy committee during the panel hearing, said that the substitute bill, principally authored by House Committee on Energy Chairman and Liberal Party Rep. Reynaldo V. Umali of Oriental Mindoro, has been unanimously approved at the committee level.

The committee report of the substitute bill or an act declaring power infrastructure projects as projects of national significance, amending for the purpose certain provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9136, or the Electric Power Reform Act of 2001, is now being prepared to be presented in the plenary for second reading in July or August.

The bill provides that to ensure timely completion of power projects for energy security and minimize costs by declaring power infrastructures as projects of national significance, imbued with public interest.

The substitute measure also inserted new section, which provides that the power of the president may upon the certification and recommendation of the energy secretary, classify certain power infrastructure projects, including but not limited to generation, transmission and distribution facilities, undertaken this act as projects of national significance which shall be entitled to the following incentives:

■  all real properties which are actually and directly used for the project will be exempted from any and all real property taxes levied under RA 7160, or the local Government Code of 1991.

■  the sum of all local taxes imposed by a province, city or municipality pursuant to RA 7160, as amended, on the proponent should not exceed 50 percent of 1 percent  of the gross sales or receipts of the preceding calendar year.

■ the required business permits, including any renewals thereof, should have been deemed to have been automatically granted or issued to the winning project proponent upon tender of the required taxes and fees to the appropriate local government unit.

Moreover, Rivera said the committee will also insert the proposal of Nacionalista Party Rep. Henry Oaminal of Misamis Occidental prohibiting the privatization of Agus-Pulangi hydroelectric power complex in Mindanao.

 

Source: https://www.businessmirror.com.ph/house-panel-oks-substitute-bill-amending-epira-law/