PASAY CITY — Senator Pia Cayetano on Monday led a “momentous step” toward energy security and affordable electricity as she guided the Senate’s approval of the bill to develop the country’s natural gas industry, with her brother, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, also voicing his support.
Sponsored by Senator Pia, Senate Bill No. 2793 or the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act passed on third and final reading with 14 affirmative votes.
Senator Pia, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, thanked her colleagues for backing this “historic measure” that will pave the way for the country’s energy security.
“This bill will help us ensure that we have our own supply [of natural gas]. We can be a nation of importers if that is what we want. But no — we take a stand, we decide that we want to develop our own indigenous sources,” she said in her manifestation.
SB No. 2793 aims to attract investors to explore the country’s natural gas fields by offering incentives, especially as Malampaya’s supply nears depletion.
Senator Pia also highlighted the environmental benefits of shifting to natural gas.
“We have to remember…our goal is to move to renewables,” she said.
“This legislation supports our own and also international commitments to cleaner and more efficient energy production,” she added.
Natural gas is considered a transition fuel to renewable energy because it emits far less carbon dioxide and pollutants compared to coal — one of the country’s main energy sources.
In her manifestation, Senator Pia rejected the idea that prioritizing local natural gas would lead to higher energy prices, saying natural gas has historically been cheaper than other fuels.
The Philippines has long had some of the highest electricity prices in the ASEAN region, with generation charges — what distribution companies pay suppliers — making up about half of the total bill.
According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, one reason for this is the country’s heavy dependence on imported fuel, which can be affected by global disruptions like wars and pandemics as well as fluctuations in the value of the peso.
“With the encouragement of more investments in natural gas, we will have energy security that will be able to provide for more accessibility to natural gas,” Senator Pia said.
“Anyone who wants to import can still do that, but now we are paving the ground for indigenous sources. We will make it cheaper for our consumers,” she added.
She also clarified that the bill does not eliminate the bidding stage in the procurement of natural gas, but instead includes transparency mechanisms to ensure consumers benefit from the lowest possible price.
“Hindi ko tinatanggalan ng bidding kasi wala hong bidding sa level na ‘yon. Negotiated po ‘yon — those are supply agreements. Same ang patakaran: fair and open access to all the information available,” Senator Pia said.
Both Cayetanos believe this bill is a necessary step in the country’s effort to transition to a more sustainable energy mix.
“As technologies for solar and wind energy are still being developed, I believe this bill points us in the right direction for the transition,” Senator Alan said.
“This bill is good for the country. This bill is good for the environment and this is good for the Filipino consumers,” Senator Pia said.
“Energy security is a generational commitment. So this is for the next generation,” she added. — PR
