Over 114,000 Antique households benefit from power subsidy in 2025

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

More than 114,000 households in Antique received relief from electricity expenses in 2025 through the province’s Provincial Electric Power Subsidy (PEPS) program, which grants a PHP 500 monthly deduction on residential power bills.

From August to December, the program served a monthly average of 103,000 households under the Antique Electric Cooperative Inc. (ANTECO) and 11,816 households covered by the Aklan Electric Cooperative Inc. (AKELCO).

The program is funded by the province’s share of national wealth from Semirara Mining. The subsidy, automatically reflected in consumers’ bills, is intended to cushion families from rising utility costs and provide immediate financial relief.

Meanwhile, ANTECO has advised members to update their account information following reports from some consumers who said they did not receive the subsidy or experienced its discontinuation.

According to ANTECO, discrepancies largely stem from duplicate names in the system, as earlier records only reflected first and last names.

Under PEPS guidelines, when identical names appear, the subsidy is credited to the account with the higher monthly bill.

Consumers are encouraged to update their records by providing their full middle names and presenting valid identification at ANTECO’s main office or sub-offices to ensure proper verification and continued inclusion in the program.

The same rule applies to residents maintaining accounts with both ANTECO and AKELCO, where the subsidy will be credited to only one account — specifically, the one with the higher bill.

The provincial government also announced that it earmarked PHP 600 million for the PEPS program in 2026.

Gov. Paolo Javier said the program reflects the administration’s commitment to channel national wealth funds directly to residents in the form of tangible assistance.

“As promised, Antiqueños will continue to feel the benefits of our national wealth shares. PEPS is our commitment to make electricity more affordable and to ensure that public funds translate into real, everyday relief for our households,” he said.

Records show that in 2025, the provincial government released PHP 227.06 million to power distributors to cover the subsidy. Of the amount, PHP 205.69 million was paid to ANTECO, while PHP 21.37 million went to AKELCO.