Formation of PP council urged to push energy conservation

MANILA, Philippines -  The Philippine government is urged to form a public-private council that will push for energy efficiency and conservation measures not only in government offices, but also in the private sector.

The proposed council would expand the Inter-Agency Energy Conservation Committee under Senate Bill 525 or Government Buildings Energy Cost Reduction Act of 2016 filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes, said Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance Inc. (PE2) president Alexander Ablaza in an interview.

“I was hoping SB 525 would be the appropriate (bill) since it’s asking for an inter-agency committee. There might be an opportunity to incorporate and broaden it,” he said.

“I believe the private sector will be mobilizing a lot of capital. No one has monopoly of everything that’s needed for a long-term transformation. Policy-making is with government, knowledge is shared by both but resources, financing, more of that will come from the private sector,” Ablaza said.

In its position paper submitted to the Senate Committee on Energy, PE2 recommended to look at the possibility of creating a public-private-civil society collaborative platform, to be called the Philippine Council for an Energy-efficient Economy (PCE3).

The proposed council would provide strategic direction and catalyze long-term market transformation toward the continued adoption of energy- efficient technologies and EE&C practices, business models and financial mechanisms.

The energy secretary and a private sector representative would co-chair the council, which would develop and promote energy-efficiency policies and strategies to support progressive, consistent and sustainable implementation of EE&C laws, the Energy Efficiency Roadmap of the Philippines, and other energy efficiency targets.

Ablaza said the energy-efficiency council would be similar to the National Competitiveness Council (NCC).

The NCC, which was originally created as the Public-Private Sector Task Force on Philippine Competitiveness in October 2006, aims to promote and develop national competitiveness.

PE2 is appealing to government to come out with a stronger energy-efficiency policy to accelerate the country’s attainment of a low carbon energy sector.

In its study, the Philippines needs to invest over P8.3 trillion through 2015 to 2030 to meet the DOE’s target of 40 percent reduction in energy intensity under the energy-efficiency road map.