Senate eyes passing EPIRA, CREATE amendments before next SONA

Senate President Francis Escudero expressed confidence that amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law will be passed before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address next year.

During his third SONA, Marcos emphasized these amendments as top priorities.

Escudero noted that while the administration has not yet filed its version of the EPIRA amendment, he is working on drafting their proposal with input from the Energy Department and Office of the President.

The Senate leader highlighted that the focus should be on lowering power rates through increased supply, and his committee report on CREATE MORE is expected to be released this week by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.

Gatchalian's committee report will be up for approval soon as it has already been approved in the House of Representatives.