By Lenie Lectura – July
16, 2017
The chairman of the
Senate Committee on Energy is optimistic that more investors will be encouraged
to closely look at the Philippine energy market as the government jump-starts
the implementation of vital reforms to eliminate red tape in the energy sector.
Sen. Sherwin T.
Gatchalian said the government has taken a big step forward in addressing
energy sector red tape with the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 30, which
streamlines the permitting processes for big-ticket energy projects and
mandates strict timeframes for government agencies to act on applications
forwarded to their offices.
“EO 30 is a signal to
investors that the Philippines is serious about addressing red tape in the
energy sector. The executive order will help address immediate red-tape
concerns in the permitting process of energy projects, while the Energy Virtual
One Stop Shop (Evoss) Act of 2017, which I have already sponsored on the Senate
floor, makes its way through the legislative process,” Gatchalian said.
The proposed Evoss Act,
an integral part of Gatchalian’s legislative agenda for the energy sector,
seeks to cut red tape in the permitting process of new power-generation
projects through the establishment of an online system that would allow for
single submission and synchronous processing of documentary requirements,
assessment and payment of charges and fees, status updates and progress
monitoring, and a synchronized permitting approval process.
“EO 30 and the Evoss
Act are complementary reforms, which will facilitate the entry of more players
into the Philippine energy sector. This, in turn, will boost competition,
resulting in a more stable power supply and cheaper power costs for consumers,”
Gatchalian said.
The senator said the
comprehensive Evoss Act will widen the scope of the reforms under EO 30 in
several ways, including the appropriation of P50 million annually for the
adoption of new technologies and operationalization of the streamlined
permitting process; the setting of specific processing procedures and time
frames for local government units and the National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples; and the imposition of administrative penalties for failure to comply
with the procedural guidelines and time frames, among others.
“The Duterte
administration and the Senate are working hand in hand to provide sufficient
and affordable electricity to the Filipino people. Addressing bureaucratic
inefficiencies by eliminating red tape will help us achieve this goal. There is
much work left to do, but it is clear that we are heading in the right
direction,” he said.
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