Duterte signs law for advanced energy, green building technologies curriculum

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the law that requires the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to “develop a curriculum on advanced energy and green building technologies” at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Duterte signed Republic Act 11393 known as the “Advance Energy and Green Building Technologies Curriculum Act” on August 22, a copy of which was released to media on Wednesday.

The law defined advanced energy as “technologies and services, both emerging and established, which are delivering an energy system for the 21st century, and which are recognized as being secure, clean and affordable.”

Green building technology, meanwhile, refers to “the technology or the application of processes which are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life cycle.”

The new law ordered CHEd, in consultation with the Department of energy and CHEd-recognized higher education institutions to develop a curriculum that “shall focus on design resilience, natural resource conservation, and sustainable design and building practices, among others , to prepare students for future careers in advanced energy and green building technologies to enable future engineers , architects and urban planners to incorporate advanced energy and green building technologies in the design of high-performance buildings.”

The CHED, in consultation with the DOE, was also “mandated to develop graduate education curriculum related to advanced energy technology research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities pertaining to energy and research development.”

The law said the funds for this new law would be charged against the appropriations of CHEd and DOE.