CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A group advocating for renewable energy asked President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to get the get Energy Sectary who will focus on renewable energy sources to power up the country.
Gerry Arances Jr., convenor of the group called Power for People Coalition (P4P), an energy consumer advocacy group is asking Marcos, Jr. to get a chief of the Department of Energy who can help the country strengthen the renewable energy sources.
Arances’ group call on the Southeast Asian nations to continuously the use of fossil gas, or natural gas, and its cooled form liquefied natural gas (LNG) in their transition away from coal.
“What do developing countries like the Philippines need? Affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity,” said Arances.
Arances said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine triggered the snowballing prices of fossil gas,
The group criticized the current administration, for its dependence on imported fossil gas in years “Instead of tapping locally abundant renewable energy sources like solar and wind, to the detriment of consumers. Mr. Marcos should know how unwise it will be to continue on that path,” Arances added.
Outgoing Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Arances said led the country to be import-oriented instead of finding alternative sources of energy in the country.
The country’s reliance on fossil fuels is now evident, with rising inflation and shortages in many goods brought about by skyrocketing fuel costs, he emphasized.
In 2011, the Philippine government adopted the National Renewable Eneegy Plan, an ambitious five-step plan to generate 15.3 GW of renewable power capacity by 2030 and over 20 GW by 2040.
“Every administration said that they want to secure energy independence for the Philippines. But their actions belied their words, because every administration chose fossil fuels – then coal and now fossil gas – and consumers are now left with electricity bills they cannot afford,” Arances said.
“The new DOE Secretary should have a proven track record in advancing renewable energy against political pressure from vested interests who stand to profit at the expense of consumers,” Arances added.
With minimum fossil fuel resources, the Philippines has been heavily dependent on oil and coal imports for power generation. This subjects the Philippines to volatile energy prices and supply constraints which resulted to the Philippines now has some of Southeast Asia’s highest electricity costs.-Bobby Lagsa
