AMID threats to climate change, the Department of Energy (DOE) pressed local government units to implement energy efficiency measures and ordinances.
Speaking to European Union delegates and local partners during the Energy Smart Visayas forum yesterday, DOE Energy Utilization and Management Bureau (EUMB) Director Jesus Tamang said the agency wants full cooperation from all branches of government, especially LGUs, in helping realize the DOE’s energy efficiency and conservation plans.
“We believe that if LGU can start mandating the use of energy efficient technologies, then we can have an accelerated adoptation,” Tamang said. This, he added, can be better rolled out if LGUs issue ordinances on energy efficiency, including the provision of incentives to establishments that use energy efficient technologies.
Part of the EUMB’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Division (EECD) roadmap is the inclusion of measures in the LGU’s development plans as well as the advocacy for the legislation of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill; conduct of information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns; integration of energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) in the curriculum of the educational system; and, expansion of financing opportunities for EE&C stakeholders and projects.
“What we’re saying here is that energy efficiency and conservation is not that the government will follow the curve. We will be at the front,” the energy official said.
The Philippines, as one of the signatories of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, is committed to reduce emissions by 70 percent below projected levels by 2030.
In yesterday’s forum, the EU delegation to the Philippines expressed their continued support for the country’s energy efficiency and green technology measures to cut down carbon emissions.
European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) president Guenter Taus said the European Union (EU) has allocated an indicative amount of 190 million euro to various countries from its cooperation budget of 325 million euro for job creation, including renewable energy for 2014 to 2020.
One of the EU-supported programs in the Philippines is the Access to Sustainable Energy Programme (ASEP), which was launched in 2014 and brings a P3-billion grant to help the government achieve its electricity and energy efficiency goals.
In addition, the EU also supports activities that bring mutually beneficial green business opportunities to EU and the Philippine enterprises through the EU Business Avenues (EUBA) program. Through it, technical and financial support are given to enterprises that are keen on creating business partnerships in the green energy sector.