House okays renewable energy bill

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading on Wednesday night a bill that would expedite the development of renewable and indigenous energy sources.

Presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, principal author of Bill 4193, said the measure aims to lessen the country’s dependence on imported fuels, particularly crude oil, and to save precious foreign exchange.

Arroyo said the nation could save as much as $1.2 billion in oil imports annually with the development of renewable energy sources.

The Arroyo bill is entitled “An Act Promoting the Development, Utilization and Commercialization of Renewable Energy Sources and for other purposes.”

It offers potential investors a basket of financial and tax incentives and directs the Department of Energy (DOE), National Power Corp. and other government agencies to develop and institute a framework for propagating renewable energy and seamlessly interconnecting these sources to the national power grid.

With his chamber’s approval of Bill 4193, Speaker Prospero Nograles said he hoped the Senate would soon pass its own version of the renewable energy measure.

Nograles said the bill is timely since nations around the world are all reeling from the high cost of crude oil and are in search of renewable and indigenous energy sources within their territories.

“This proposed legislation should trigger the accelerated development of renewable energy sources found here in the country, like biomass, solar, wind, hydro, ocean energy or wave power, and geothermal energy,” he said.

In sponsoring his bill, Arroyo, energy committee chairman, told his colleagues that the United States and European countries had long ago worked to lessen their dependence on imported oil by passing renewable energy legislation in the l990s.

He said China “displayed political will by passing its own law in just two months in 2006.”

“I humbly ask for your support in approving the renewable energy resources bill – the bill that will reduce our dependence on imported petroleum products. It will not only encourage and promote the use of renewable energy resources in order to achieve energy sustainability; it will also reduce harmful emissions and protect the environment and the health of the people,” he said.

“We owe it to our constituents to foster an environment where they would be relieved from the crushing burden brought by high fuel prices,” he said.

He noted that the country relies on imported fuels like crude oil derivatives and coal for 48 percent of its energy needs, with the remaining 52 percent taken from indigenous sources like hydropower and geothermal energy.

With the enactment of a Renewable Energy Law, Arroyo said the DOE projects that the country could source up to 60 percent of its energy requirements from renewable and indigenous resources.

“The expected surge in investments in renewable energy would also mean more employment for our people,” he said.  – Jess Diaz