The bill amending the Public Service Act is aimed to be passed within the remaining term of the Duterte Administration.
Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Dominguez reported during his Sulong Pilipinas 2021 speech that to fully liberalize the Philippine economy, amendments to the Foreign Investments Act, The Public Service Act, and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act will be pushed through as these three bills are certified as urgent by the President.
The bill amending the Public Service Act has been a deep-rooted advocacy of the Export Development Council through its Networking Committee on Transport and Logistics. Philippine consumers often experience poor quality and high cost of public services because of limited competition in the market due to restrictions in the possible players who can engage in public services under the current legal framework.
The passing of the amendment will clearly define public utilities to free public services from restrictions that should only apply to the operation of public utilities. These will facilitate greater competition and investment in the transportation sector for better services and lower costs.- KJDA