NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines — The House Committee on Energy, chaired by Pampanga 2nd District Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Macapagal Arroyo, has passed crucial legislation to ensure that the country has adequate and inexpensive power and fuel, while also looking for ways to strengthen local business and the economy.

Apart from the proposed amendments to Republic Act (RA) 8479, or the “Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998,” Arroyo said in a statement on Sunday that his committee has tackled and approved several important pieces of legislation that will help the country’s energy sector develop, upgrade, and modernize.

RA 8479 abolished government control over petroleum product pricing, leaving market forces to determine oil prices.

With 65 members, including the chairperson and nine vice-chairs, the House Committee on Energy is one of the largest in the House of Representatives. All matters relating to the exploration, development, exploitation, utilization, or conservation of energy resources; entities involved in power generation, transmission, and distribution; and the supply of all forms of energy and energy fuels are subject to the committee’s general and exclusive jurisdiction.

Despite the limits imposed by the pandemic, the committee held a total of 44 virtual sessions during the 18th Congress as of Dec. 15, 2021, including 14 technical working group meetings, seven pre-bicameral meetings, and two bicameral conference committee meetings.

“A total of 15 committee reports of national significance were filed,” Arroyo said.

Last year, Arroyo co-chaired the Joint Congressional Energy Commission (JCEC) meeting and briefing on the “power supply and demand outlook” with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to get an update on the status of implementation of several landmark laws, including Republic Act 11285 or the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act and Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act.

During the 18th Congress, Arroyo added, the committee designated eight priority legislative proposals and nine legislation that would be subject to the committee’s legislative monitoring duty.

The establishment of the Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute, the Regulatory Framework for the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry, Electric Vehicle Industry Development, Energy Advocacy Council Office, Microgrid Systems, Waste-to-Energy Technology, Downstream Natural Gas Industry Development, and Strengthening the Energy Regulatory Commission are among the priority legislative measures.

According to parliamentary records, 46 proposals were referred to the committee in 2021, including 28 bills and 18 resolutions. A total of 44 bills of national significance were considered by the committee.

A total of 187 bills, including 131 bills and 56 resolutions, were referred to the committee during the 18th Congress.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has approved a number of proposed bills, including House Bill 8203, which encourages the use of Microgrid Systems to speed up the total electrification of unserved and underserved areas around the country.

Several important measures are being considered, including proposed amendments to the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act, underground cable and wire installation, conversion of the National Electrification Administration to the National Electrification Authority, government assistance to distribution utilities and electricity end-users, and a number of resolutions to assist electric cooperatives and consumers.

The House Committee on Energy, according to Arroyo, carefully reviewed, debated, and acted on all of these proposals, with Filipino consumers as the primary focus.

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