Think tank urges Duterte to issue EO on reducing coal dependence

MANILA, Philippines — Energy and environmental think tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) is urging President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration to come up with an executive order outlining how they plan to “fasttrack” the development of renewable energy sources while “reducing” dependence on coal, as he mentioned during his State of the Nation Address on Monday.

“We welcome the positive remarks uttered by the President during his Sona, responding to the clamor of the public against dirty, deadly, and costly energy from coal and fossil fuels,” said CEED Executive Director Gerry Arances. “His statements are significant given that existing energy and power policies largely favor coal.”

Arances cited that at present, the power mix is dominated by the share of coal at 51 percent, and is set to continue to grow given the 30 coal-fired power plants still in the pipeline. The Department of Energy (DOE) also projects that coal will only increase for at least two decades more, according to the Philippine Energy Plan.

“We urge the President to formalize in an Executive Order the marching orders he gave during his speech to provide clear policy directions to the DOE and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),” said Arances.

“We also encourage DOE Sec. Alfonso Cusi and DENR Sec. Roy Cimatu to outline what it means for its standing policies on permitting processes concerning energy projects and coal-fired power plants in the pipeline,” he continued. “We do not want the offices mainly mandated to pursue this transition to be the ones contradicting the President’s commitment to the People.”/asu