DOE eyes $15-M from UN body

The Department of Energy (DOE) is expecting to get a $15 million fund from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for the so-called Philippine Efficient Lighting Market Transformation Project (PELMATP).

The GEF Council is expected to approve the financing and the work program of the project by February 2004.

The project will be co-financed by the DOE, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Philippine Lighting Industry Association (PLIA).

PELMATP is one of the three UNDP-GEF efficient lighting market transformation projects proposed in the Asia-Pacific region (others situated in China and Vietnam); and is expected to be among the first GEF projects to promote and adopt the tools development by the predecessor GEF program, Efficient Lighting Initiative (ELI) Philippines.

After over three years of implementation, ELI, which is funded by the International Finance Corp. (IFC) of the World Bank, closed its activities on Sept. 30 this year. PELMATP should replace ELI but up to now the program has not started yet pending the approval of the GEF funding. The IFC, on the other hand, is currently managing three-phased transition from the GEF-supported ELI programs in seven countries labeled as the Next Generation of ELI.

IFC international advisor for Global ELI team Alexander Ablaza said the IFC sees PELMATP as the succeeding driver of the ongoing market transformation in the Philippines in its envisaged role of employing the GEF-developed market transformation tools of ELI Philippines in further the acceleration of the local market for energy efficient lighting technologies and services during the next five years.

Ablaza said the ELI Philippines has developed and set into action as its program legacy the manufacturers‚ use of the ELI logo and specifications.

The IFC official, on the other hand, is urging the DOE and the UNDP to work out the creation of the PELMATP.

"The IFC is aware that both the DOE and the newly-created PLIA understand why PELMATP has to commence immediately after ELI Philippines. Both parties believe that the market transformation momentum built up through the last three years will diminish through an implementation gap," he said. – Donnabelle Gatdula