The School of Environmental Science and Management-University of the Philippines Los Baños (SESAM-UPLB) held SESAM ExChanges 16 entitled “Understanding a Just Energy Transition for the Philippines: Where are we and where are we going?” at SESAM Board Room, August 16, 2024. This hybrid event was also joined by more than 200 participants via Zoom and Facebook Live.

Dr. Rico C. Ancog, Dean of SESAM-UPLB, said the Philippines is grappling with a complex interplay of energy challenges. He added that the nation’s development trajectory hinges on the ability to secure a sustainable and equitable energy source. “This forum is a testament to our commitment to generating and disseminating knowledge that can inform policies and practices towards a just energy transition- and we are honored to have our esteemed speakers here today to guide us in this critical endeavor,” Dr. Ancog said.

Atty. Aison Garcia, a faculty member of the DLSU Tanada-Diokno School of Law, said that the government is now enforcing to the businesses on their responsibility in carbon emission. He also stressed that the practice of environmental, social and governance (ESG) is expanding. “Basically, a voluntary self-regulation of business that started in the US that has impacted a lot of businesses there, they expanded the notion of the corporate social responsibility into ESG that the corporate world now understands,” he added.

Atty. Paul Heherson Balite, a member of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, discussed the types and causes of energy disputes like increased regulations and commercial squabbles mostly in oil and gas that is happening in the world. He added that these disputes are increasing also due to climate change. “At present, oil is dominantly used as fuel source in the country, because we are a group of islands and power generators are largely dependent on diesel fuel,” Atty. Balite said. He added using renewables such as solar and wind, as well as natural gas still lag behind oil and even coal.

Meanwhile, Atty. Ivan Mark Galura, a Senior Associate of the Climate Smart Ventures mentioned that the volume of global carbon dioxide emission from coal-fired power plants produced 15.22 billion metric tons. However, he mentioned coal is still the most reliable and cheapest power source- which can generate 24/7 available power for the country. He said that the total dependable capacity of coal-fired power plants in the Philippines is 10,520 MW. “Early decommissioning of coal-fired power plants is not easy to implement since there is no law provided to enforce this and alternative energy infrastructure is not yet fully established in the country,” he added.

SESAM ExChanges is organized by the Continuing Education and Training Division (CETD] of SESAM, led by For. Sofia Alaira with team members Dr. Thaddeus Lawas, Ms. Cherry Padilla, Ms. Jessa Aquino-Cando, EnP., Mr. Patrick Cabangbangand assisted by Ms. Rosemarie Laila Areglado-Dimasuay.