House leaders on Wednesday pledged to support and strengthen the housing, water and electricity programs of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., citing ongoing efforts to upgrade irrigation systems, expand access to homes and widen power subsidies for low-income families.
Under the leadership of Speaker Faustino G. Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos, House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chair Zia Alonto Adiong and Deputy Speakers Paolo Ortega V and Jay Khonghun said the chamber will align its legislative agenda with the administration’s initiatives.
Collectively known as the “Young Guns,” the lawmakers said they would ensure measures sustain affordability and widen access to essential services.
These include House Bill 2700 authored by Majority Leader Marcos, which seeks to provide free electricity to qualified low-consumption households through a direct government subsidy.
“Housing, electricity and water are very important — they are the foundation of a decent life and a stable economy,” the three lawmakers said in a joint statement.
“As House leaders, we support President Marcos in programs that create jobs, lower family costs and strengthen the provinces. At the same time, we will ensure that every peso goes to the right place and with clear accountability.”
HB 2700, or the proposed “Free Electricity for Low-Consumption Households Act,” aims to institutionalize a direct subsidy that would fully cover the electricity bills of qualified households within a defined monthly threshold.
The measure also seeks to exempt the subsidized portion from the 12 percent value-added tax and dismantle the current cross-subsidy system in favor of direct government support.
The lawmakers said the approach complements the administration’s on-the-ground programs in housing, irrigation and power by embedding them in legislation to ensure sustainability and accountability.
Adiong emphasized the link between water investments and food security, citing the President’s recent inauguration of the rehabilitated Mahayag Dam in Zamboanga del Sur and the turnover of solar-powered pump irrigation projects in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
“If farms have enough water, food on every Filipino’s table becomes more affordable,” Adiong said.
The upgraded Mahayag Dam, a key diversion structure of the Salug River Irrigation System, is expected to improve irrigation reliability, agricultural productivity and flood control in Mahayag, Molave, Ramon Magsaysay and Sominot towns.
More than 3,100 farmers are projected to benefit from the project.
Ortega described housing as an economic driver that restores dignity to families, following the President’s awarding of housing units and assistance under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program during the anniversary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development in Taytay, Rizal.
“Housing is not an expense — it is an investment in jobs, in the economy and in the dignity of every family,” Ortega said.
Khonghun stressed the need for reliable and affordable electricity to support industrialization, echoing the President’s announcement in Pasig City of reforms to simplify access to power subsidies and streamline net-metering rules for households installing solar panels.
“There is no industrialization without reliable electricity,” Khonghun said.
The President earlier noted that as of November 2025, only about 334,000 consumers are enrolled in the Lifeline Rate Subsidy Program — roughly 11 percent of the estimated three million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program — attributing the gap to complicated requirements.
Mr. Marcos said reforms in the energy sector aim to make subsidies more accessible to marginalized families while promoting renewable energy adoption.
House leaders said they would use the Common Legislative Agenda under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council to synchronize reforms, remove policy bottlenecks and ensure long-term support for the administration’s priority programs.
