Guest Speaker
Sec. Carlos Jericho L. Petilla
POWER EVENT by Norwegian Embassy
Makati City
February 4, 2015
Greetings
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Royal Norwegian Embassy headed by Ambassador Erik Foner and the Philippine-Norwegian Business Chamber of Commerce for organizing this event. Attending conferences as well as seminar-workshops are opportunities for me to part the different programs and projects the Department are currently undertaking. It is only through this medium can the DOE or any national agency for that matter can motivate and inspire future partners to join in our endeavors in fulfilling our aspirations for the country. We are leading perhaps one of the most difficult sectors in the country. As an official, sometimes you need to juggle different personalities and ensure that at the end of the day you’ll generate prospects and newer horizons not only for the sector but also for the nation.
The formulation of new policies and the devising of strategies are focal movements in the realization of the country’s objective of sustainable development and inclusive growth. It is through this route can we adhere with the president’s social contract with the people. This may post a challenge; however through carefully examining the trend, we can fully understand and recognize the right measures to implement and even the right tools to use. With energy security as one of the most critical necessities to date, we must safeguard our people that their government is armed with the right decisions and judgments that will support the growth of the country. The Department as the key agency of the national government in terms of power must secure and guarantee that our power supply is enough to support a growing economy and population.
With the passing of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA 2001) the government’s role was trimmed to just being the facilitator and catalyst of the energy sector. To some, it may seem that the government was placed in the losing side, however the reality is that we need to capitalize on the dynamism of the economy as well as the influx of foreign and local investors. There are only two things that keep this nation afloat and that is a stable power supply and a good business environment. Addressing the two is achievable if we will consider the reforms set by our existing laws and allow the entrance of new ideas. As a private-drive sector the energy sector can be a playing field with a win-win scenario for both the people and developers. We must sustain this kind of behavior since as a growing country, our industries are swiftly maturing and slowing down at this point would hurt the momentum we are now enjoying. Let the government work for the welfare of the people and let the business and developers do what they do best. In this sector, the government would only be a poor businessman since their line of work should always be for the people.
With this at hand, the Department remained committed in nurturing the sector and the industrial growth through the implementation of landmark policies and the strengthening of existing ones. Allow me to share to you two reforms. Last year we introduced the “milestone approach”, accelerating the RE application processes from 100 days down to just 45 days. Due to this reform, we were able to bring back and renew the confidence of our prospective investors as well as evade flippers or entities that are engaged in the buying and selling of RE contracts. Often, these flippers are the causes of delays and even the postponement of our projects. In times like this we have no more time to deal with these kinds of people. Another is our aggressive take on energy conservation and efficiency. We have released a Department Circular entirely devoted on this and even powered up two websites, the kuryente and wattmatters.org.ph to inform the public. In other countries they have been doing well in this endeavor, I believe that it is about time to do the same.
As we face a new chapter in our industry with newer and brighter technologies, we must remain interested and driven to achieve greater heights for our country. I believe that with your help and partnership we can fulfill our services to our people and finally secure an energized future for our country.
On behalf of the Department of Energy thank you very much and have a great day!
Mabuhay!