Senator-elect Raffy Tulfo speaks with reporters before attending a legislative process briefing in the Senate on Monday, June 27, 2022. Photo by Albert Calvelo/Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Senator-elect Raffy Tulfo on Monday said he would focus on tackling system losses and power outages as chairman of the Senate energy committee under the 19th Congress.
Tulfo, poised to head the Senate energy panel, said he would prioritize mitigating yearly system losses.
“As chairman of the [Committee on] Energy, ang unang-una talaga [na] tatama sa sikmura ng ating kababayan ay ‘yong system loss[es],” said Tulfo during his first press conference in the Senate.
(As chairman of the committee on energy, the first thing that burdens the people is the system losses.)
System loss refers to unbilled or lost electricity due to electric pilferage or through the transmission and distribution process.
“‘Yong pagtaas ng kuryente [at] ‘yong palaging brownout, ‘yan ‘yong mga bagay na talagang unang i-a-address natin,” he added.
(The increasing price hikes of electricity and the frequent power outages are the issues that we must first address.)
Earlier during his press conference, Tulfo said he sought guidance from energy experts and the academe in fulfilling his plans.
“Nag-gather ako ng team of experts sa energy industry para pag-usapan ‘yan [ang mga plano at] para bigyan ako ng guidance,” he stated.
(I gathered a team of experts from the energy industry to discuss my plans and guide me.)
“In fact, not only mga lawyers [and] not only mga energy experts, [I] even [asked guidance] from the academe to teach me [and] make me more knowledgeable do’n sa mga current events patungkol sa energy,” he added.
(In fact, it’s not only lawyers and not only energy experts, I even asked guidance from the academe to teach me and make me more knowledgeable regarding the current events concerning energy.) — Iliana Padigos, INQUIRER.net intern