PE2 seeks ESCO, PPP and JV rules during EE&C IRR public consultations
TAGUIG CITY, 16 September 2019 — Members of the Policy Committee of the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance (PE2) actively participated in the Public Consultations held earlier today on the Draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11285, otherwise known as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Act. Organized by the Department of Energy (DOE) and held at the Marquis Events Place, this consultation is the third of three successive public consultations on the same IRR, following the ones held in Davao on 3 September and Cebu on 10 September.
DOE Senior Undersecretary Jesus Cristino P. Posadas and Director Patrick T. Aquino of the Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB) opened the IRR consultations on 16 September.
Representing the PE2 Policy Committee were Alexander Ablaza, Theresa Acedillo-Lapuz, Raymond A. Marquez, Richard A. Uy, Mark Anthony T. Delumen, Danilo B. Aquillo, and Rhonniel M. Caringal. Also present were PE2 member representatives Maria Carmina E. Cruz and Lester Philip Lualhati, and PE2 member services and communications manager Luigi G. Eusebio.
Ablaza thanked DOE for repeatedly inviting PE2 to all stakeholder and public consultations on the IRR, and for DOE’s acknowledgement of PE2 position letters on the IRR dated 26 July and 7 August 2019. While PE2 manifested its full support for the swift issuance of the IRR, it indicated the need to issue a third position letter, which will include recommendations on the following IRR sections: [1] Section 46 – PE2 seeks specific language that would explicitly mention the procurement, budgeting and multi-year contracting of energy service company (ESCO) services for public sector facilities through at least 3 identified financing modalities, namely direct ESCO performance contracting under the Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A. 9184), public-private partnership (PPP) transactions under the Build-Operate-Transfer law, and the NEDA joint venture (JV) guidelines for JV agreements between government and private entities; and, [2] Section 39 – PE2 recommends additional powers and functions of the Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee (IAEECC), to include inter-agency policy actions relating to innovative procurement, budgeting, contracting, financing and mobilization of private sector capital toward government EE&C projects.
Meralco, Republic Cement, ENPAP 4.0, IIEE, SM Prime/SMEDD and the Board of Investments, among other stakeholders, also shared recommendations on the IRR on behalf of their organizations.
