Joint effort Speaking at the first anniversary of the E-Power Mo Campaign, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi urges all stakeholders to join the effort to raise awareness towards an energy resilient Philippines.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi has called for public support to enable the country to achieve energy resiliency, describing it as a shared responsibility.

“Each one of us has an important role to play in this energy resiliency advocacy,” Cusi said in his message to an estimated 500 participants in the 6th E-Power Mo conference of the Department of Energy (DoE).

The E-Power Mo movement, which marks its first anniversary on Wednesday, focuses on adopting strategies and providing consumers with knowledge not only on the proper use of energy, but also in helping the country become energy resilient.

“We all know that the Philippines is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters,” Cusi pointed out, citing the World Risk Index that ranked the country in third place, as well as its previous experience on disasters like super-typhoon “Yolanda.”

These factors have prompted the DoE to institutionalize the Energy Resiliency Policy (ERP) in the energy sector in January 2018, according to Cusi.

The ERP aims to strengthen the existing energy systems and assist in the quick restoration and provision of alternative energy sources to cushion the adverse impact of natural disasters on consumers.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Jesus Cristino P. Posadas cited the DoE’s active role in three significant international events on energy resiliency advocacy. These include hosting the 12th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Ministers Meeting in 2015, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Ministers on Energy Meeting and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue Energy Working Group Meeting. The DoE also co-chaired the relevant meetings of the APEC Energy Resiliency Task Force with the United States.

According to Posadas, the DoE encouraged the other member-states in these international groupings to share their expertise and best practices in pursuing initiatives and action plans on increasing the resiliency of energy infrastructure.

Among the topics discussed during the plenary session are the DoE’s efforts in the implementation of the ERP, the effects of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on the country’s energy systems, the Philippine disaster risk reduction and management system, and disaster risk financing and insurance strategies.

Also included in the discussions was the importance of the support of the government’s communications system to disseminate to the grassroots the message of E-Power Mo.