Marcos urges public, private sectors to invest in renewables
President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. leads the inauguration of the Cabaruan Solar Pump Irrigation Project in the Municipality of Quirino, Province of Isabela on Monday, 10 June 2024. NIA invested P65.77 million in a solar-powered pumping station in Quirino, Isabela, completed in February 2024. This station, with 1,056 solar panels and two submersible pumps, serves 350 hectares of farmland, benefiting 237 farmers by reducing their reliance on fuel-driven pumps.
PHOTO BY YUMMIE DINGDING
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called upon both public and private sectors to invest in renewable energy projects to combat the country's worsening climate problems in a significant push towards addressing climate change and securing the Philippines' energy future.
Marcos said this on Monday as he witnessed the signing of the Connection Agreement for the Isabela Ground Mounted Solar Project in Ilagan City, Isabela.
The Isabela Ground Mounted Solar Project is a partnership between the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the San Ignacio Energy Resources Development Corporation (SIERDC).
The project is expected to commence in the fouth quarter of 2025, which is projected to provide employment opportunities to more than 4,000 Filipinos during the construction.
"Let us continue to pursue extraordinary opportunities like this to give ourselves and the next generations to come a fighting chance to succeed in reversing our exacerbating climate problems," Marcos said.
"Having more initiatives like this project will be a catalyst for our country’s positive transformation. For one, it will pave the way for a brighter future for all Filipinos by providing more clean energy to light our homes, invigorate our schools, power our businesses, and fuel our industries," Marcos added.
Marcos says the 440-Megawatt Peak (MWp) solar project is essential to bolstering the government's efforts to encourage the nation's usage of renewable energy sources and guarantee a steady supply of electricity for every Filipino.
Hence, Marcos also told the private sector, including the NGCP, to collaborate closely with the government to maintain a secure, reliable, and adaptable energy infrastructure that can meet the increasing demands.
"Having more initiatives like this project will be a catalyst for our country’s positive transformation. For one, it will pave the way for a brighter future for all Filipinos by providing more clean energy to light our homes, to invigorate our schools, power our businesses, and fuel our industries," Marcos said.
"It will also help us in realizing our renewable energy ambitions, which is the inevitable way forward," he added, stressing that "renewable energy is a crucial step for a country and a world grappling against climate change," Marcos added.