Message
Representative of Sec. Carlos Jericho L. Petilla
I AM SAM Workshop
Division Office of the Department of Education, Makati City
January 21, 2015

Greetings

Thank you very much for giving the Department of Energy an opportunity to be part of this event. Sec. Petilla personally instructed me to be here and share this day with you. He believes that this venture as well as the youth leaders will form part of a good and bright future we are all aspiring for. Our generation has been working hard for a brighter tomorrow, though we know that our efforts will not be realized in our lifetime. We don’t want you, our children to experience the same challenges we have experienced. I believe that you guys must face new problems that will no more tackle old and perennial ones.

The Department of Energy (DOE) for our part yearns to establish a strong energy sector that is efficient and sustainable. In fact we are already veering towards the use of renewable energy (RE). Our main goal is to triple our RE –based capacity by 2030. Presently, the total installed capacity for RE stands at 5,521.2 MW. Ambitious? Yes! Attainable? Yes! We need to have concrete goals to have something to look forward to. It is not enough that we go on with our work, we must be guided and most importantly determined to achieve our mission, a promise to our people.

To achieve this, planning is a significant factor. In fact, we made the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) as a guiding document. In order to remain faithful to the program, we devised the milestone approach, accelerating the RE application process from 100 working days down to just 45 days. For 2014, the DOE awarded a total of 638 RE projects with a total potential capacity of 10, 068.031 MW. For the Department, our efforts are in unison with the role of the government in promoting sustainable development and environmentalism.

As an archipelago, we have limitless RE sources, which both the local and foreign investors can develop. We must expose these natural wonders because these are our trump cards, a feature that made our country unique, scenic and viable to the technology. As guardians, we also have responsibilities to protect and use it for our development. There is much to be done, however, we cannot do this alone. This is a communal effort that is shared by the people. We must therefore have a covenant that we will help each other achieve our aspirations for our country. We only have one nation, and there is no more room for mistakes. Let us be determined.

On this note, I would like to challenge to you to think outside the box and provide insights that will truly help the country for the long term. I know how creative your minds are most especially since you are a product of a society that is dynamic and filled with surprises. Always strive to use your minds, your talents for the betterment of the majority not only of the few. Look beyond and be open for the possibilities of change. Make your dreams a reality and put everything on record so that we can marvel at all your achievements as the new breed of Filipinos.

On behalf of the Department of Energy and Sec. Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, I wish you well on your endeavor.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay tayong lahat!