Senate urged anew to prioritize natural gas dev’t bill

The Malampaya gas field off Palawan has been supplying natural gas to four power plants in Batangas province that generate a fifth of the country’s electricity needs. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre has urged counterparts in the Senate to prioritize a bill that seeks to develop the Philippines’ downstream natural gas industry, as it is believed to be the answer for the country’s energy woes.

In a statement,  Acidre said that while the proposed Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Industry (PDNGI) Development Act is not an immediate solution to the country’s thinning energy mix, it will improve supply issues in the coming years.

“With humility, I urge our fellow lawmakers in the Senate to prioritize the deliberation on (the) Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Industry Development Act,”Acidre said on Wednesday.

“While this is not a silver bullet that will address all the problems in the energy sector, I am certain that it will alleviate the conditions of our energy supply,” he added.

Like fellow House official Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda — who also reminded the Senate about the bill — Acidre stressed that the bill is a priority of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac),

“More importantly, its inclusion as one of the LEDAC priorities of this administration needs no further explanation or plea for its immediate passage,” Acidre said.

“This proposed law is one of the important policies under Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.

Last April 29, Salceda asked the Senate to act on the counterpart measure to House Bill (HB) No. 8456.

HB No. 8456 was passed on third reading by the House last August 2, 2023. 

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Senators Raffy Tulfo and Imee Marcos separately filed a bill focused on the downstream industry, but it is still pending at the committee level.