SONA to Provide Energy Policy Guidance Amidst Rising Oil Price Concerns

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said the upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) will guide near-term energy policy as renewed fighting in the Persian Gulf threatens to put pressure on oil prices once more. “Hopefully (President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.) can give us a directive on what we need to do so we won’t suffer as much during (the next) oil crisis,” Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin told reporters last week. Mr. Marcos will deliver his fifth SONA on July 27, Monday, which is expected to contain updates on the national energy emergency after the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February. As a result of the disruption of oil shipments from the region, domestic diesel prices rose to a high of P170 per liter, one of the world’s most severe price spikes, according to Global Petrol Prices. After a brief stabilization period, renewed fighting in the Middle East have sent pump prices north of P100 per liter again. “We have given (our suggestions) to the Office of the President and we are preparing for what the directive will be for the DoE. We’re ready and I think energy will be a very important topic,” Ms. Garin said. As the Marcos administration enters its last two years, the DoE is hoping to finish major energy projects, with more than 200 power projects in the pipeline. Ms. Garin said the government is working on a master plan to construct and rehabilitate power facilities in Mindoro, Palawan, and the Visayas, which has been experiencing multiple yellow alerts due to power plant shutdowns. “I think by the time the President steps down, it will be a better situation in the Visayas because of the plans in place,” she said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera