2.9M jobs credited to ‘green’ energy projects

DAVAO CITY—Former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri on Saturday said the boom in renewable energy projects has so far created 2.9 million jobs, particularly in the engineering and construction sector.

Zubiri, citing data from the government’s Renewable Energy Management Bureau, credited the boom to Republic Act No. 9513,  or the Renewable Energy Act, which he had authored and vigorously pursued as chair of the Senate environment and natural resources committee in 2008.

The ex-lawmaker from Bukidnon province said without the passage of the Renewable Energy Law, there might have been no boom in wind, solar, geothermal, hydro and biomass power projects in the countryside.

“We are proud to say that because of the law, we now have a thriving renewable energy industry that is delivering badly needed gainful employment,” Zubiri said.

“The good thing about construction-related jobs is that they tend to benefit low-income households. And considering that nearly all renewable energy projects are being put up in the rural areas, the jobs are being created where they are most needed by hard up families,” he said.

Aside from opening up job opportunities, Zubiri said the law also enticed some P100 billion in investments and boosted the country’s energy supply by an aggregate capacity of 2,952 megawatts.

“The number of renewable energy developers applying for projects has increased 20 times. Prior to the passage of Renewable Energy Law, only 20 developers applied for projects. Now, there are 406 developers applying for the projects,” he said. Inquirer Mindanao