ERC asks public to support bills on energy sufficiency

With the unstable price of oil and petroleum products in the world market due to conflict in the Middle East, the Department of Energy asked the public to support the proposed Renewable Energy Bill, which is now pending before the Congress.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the Department of Energy will strongly push for the enactment of the proposed Biofuels and Renewable Energy Bills, both crucial pieces of legislations that would help realize energy self-sufficiency.

He explained that with the volatility of prices of imported petroleum products brought about by the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, both the Biofuels Bill and RE Bill "will help us further lessen our dependence on imported oil as well as help address air-quality management and respond to climate change."

In a press release, Lotilla said that while imported energy accounts for 42.9 percent in 2005 and is expected to decrease to 38.5 percent in 2014 based on the Philippine Energy Plan 2005 Update, the RE Bill is expected to allow the country to meet its growth in energy demand from renewable energy sources as well as increase the share of renewable energy in the country's primary energy mix from 41.7 percent in 2005 to 42.4 percent in 2010.

As of last year, he noted that the country successfully utilized locally sourced fuel to power 64 percent of our electricity needs by maximizing the use of indigenous and renewable energy capacity.

Lotilla said that a number of achievements had boosted the development of renewable energy like the naming of the country's action plan in the development of renewable energy as one of the best three action plans worldwide in the 2004 International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn, Germany. The Philippines was joined by China and Egypt.

"Apart from the fact that both the Biofuels Bill and the RE Bill can help minimize our economy's exposure to price fluctuations of imported fuels, we are also one with all the environmental groups in advocating policies that would protect our environment," Lotilla stressed.

The energy official also lauded stakeholders, particularly NGOs and environmental groups for advocating for the enactment of the RE Bill.

With this, Lotilla urged other stakeholders in the downstream oil industry to come up with positive actions by supporting the proposed Biofuels Bill for the sake of the consuming public especially now that prices of oil in the international market are becoming extremely expensive.

"Instead of opposing what is good for the economy, we urge our stakeholders to rally behind us in advocating the passage of the Biofuels Bill to realize our goal of becoming energy self-sufficient," Lotilla added. - Wenna A. Berondo