DOE secures P3.25-B budget

Manila Bulletin 
By Myrna M. Velasco 
Published: July 1, 2013 
The Department of Energy (DOE) was granted P3.254 billion budget this year, with the biggest chunk going to the foreign-assisted electric tricycle (e-trike) project, documents showed.
Broken down, the budget allocations cover P284.76 million for personnel services; P466.93 million for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE); and P2.503 billion for capital outlays.
The e-trike project accounted for the bulk of the budget with P2.580 billion. The high importance given to this undertaking is evident because the Aquino administration wants to make “the electrification of the transport sector” among its flagship programs.
The approved DOE budget also set special provisions for the country’s “sitio” electrification program.
Documents showed that P3.6 million and P126.77 million, respectively, will be charged against the DOE special account for the household electrification program in off-grid areas to be supported by the deployment of renewable energy (RE) systems.
Another big-ticket ‘special provision’ item is the P779.258 million intended to “finance energy resource development and exploitation.”
For the operations of the department’s bureaus and field offices, the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) cornered the smallest allocation of P5.199 million; while that on renewable energy exploration, development and utilization got a heftier share of P77.675 million.
Comparatively, the allocation for the operational requirements of the National Biofuels Board (NBB) is higher at P17.627 million or three times bigger than the NREB allotment.
The bias of Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla as to the proposed improvements of the department’s information technology system is also manifest with the IT and data management services department getting a fairly bigger budget of P66.884 million.
For field offices, Luzon has the smallest share at P10.204 million; while Visayas got the highest budget at P20.727 million. Mindanao’s appropriation is slightly lower at P20.117 million.
The department’s legal services unit was granted a budget of P12.023 million; energy policy and planning got P49.582 million; while the energy research testing and laboratory services unit was given P33.478 million.  source