DOE goal for 2020 and beyond: Clean, reliable energy

It is Secretary Alfonso Cusi’s New Year’s wish that the seeds the DOE have sowed will bear long-awaited fruits that would bring profound changes to Filipinos.

The Department of Energy, guided by President Rodrigo Duterte’s goals for clean, accessible and reliable energy for all, is looking at a “brighter and fully empowered” Philippines in the coming year.

Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the DOE will always be bound by a common desire to build a “better tomorrow for future generations.”

“With energy as a cornerstone of socio-economic development, providing energy security, equity and sustainability remains at the forefront of our energy agenda,” said Cusi on Sunday.

Among the DOE’s notable works the past year are:

A five-country international campaign of the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program that welcomed over 40 companies for exploratory meetings; received five applications from four companies on four of 14 Pre-Determined Areas; and 24 area nomination requests from 13 companies;

Cancelation of three of four hydro-energy service contracts that committed serious misrepresentation;

Continued implementation of Task Force on Energy Resiliency, which means wasting no time in restoring power lines even during holidays unlike in the previous administrations when bringing back electricity took weeks, if not months;

Eradication of red tape by requiring all undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and concerned bureau directors to submit an inventory of all pending applications for service/operating contracts, including their dates of application, status, and actions taken; and status reports on all existing service contracts;

The Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program to help reinvigorate petroleum exploration and development activities in the Philippines.

Cusi said the vision of a brighter and fully empowered Philippines fuels the DOE to work harder and exert greater effort to realize its goals.

“Together, let us welcome 2020 with renewed hope and optimism,” said Cusi. “May the seeds we have jointly sowed bear long-awaited fruit that would bring profound changes to the lives of millions of our countrymen.