GMA orders overhaul at energy department

President Arroyo has ordered Energy Secretary Vincent Perez to reorganize the Department of Energy (DOE).

In issuing Administrative Order 38 last Aug. 23, Mrs. Arroyo instructed Perez to submit to the Department of Budget and Management for evaluation and approval his department’s new staffing pattern.

"The secretary of energy shall promulgate the necessary implementing guidelines, rules and regulations to ensure the orderly implementation of this administrative order," read a part of AO 38.

The STAR obtained a copy of AO 38 yesterday.

Mrs. Arroyo said Republic Act 7638, the law creating the DOE, empowers the energy secretary, subject to the President’s approval, to reorganize, restructure and redefine the functions of the agency’s various bureaus and services for the effective discharge of its functions.

Mrs. Arroyo said officers and employees of the affected bureaus and offices will be entitled to the corresponding benefits pursuant to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 and the Government Service Insurance Act of 1997.

Under AO 38, four new offices were created within the DOE: the Natural Gas Office (NGO), the Consumer Welfare Promotion Office (CWPO), the Public Affairs Office (PAO) and the Investment Promotion Office (IPO).

Mrs. Arroyo retained the Energy Resource Development Bureau (ERDB) and the Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB), as provided in the DOE charter.

However, the Energy Policy and Monitoring Bureau was renamed the Energy Policy and Planning Bureau, while the Energy Industry Administration Bureau was split into two: the Electric Power Industry Administration Bureau and the Oil Industry Administration Bureau.

The Administration Support Services was divided into three new offices: administration services, financial services, and legal services.

Other DOE units and offices were similarly renamed and their functions redefined. – Marichu Villanueva