Sins of past, market forces, green initiatives hike electricity bill

Why power rates in the Philippines is the highest in Asia according to a 2012 survey of Japan External Trade Organization is a complex story explained in a 6-minute Rappler animate project. Shown in the illustration are the policies that tried to address technical, financial, business, and political issues that ranged from reactive to populist to idealistic. The sins of the past, the capital intensive nature of the power industry, market forces, and moves for cleaner energy sources make their way into the electricy bill, which have been going up instead of becoming more affordable. The country’s high power costs have plagued the Philippines’ ability to compete in the manufacturing sector and burdened Filipinos for decades.

Watch Rappler Animate on power rates.