PH Tops Energy Sustainability Ranking for 3rd Year

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippines ranked No. 1 in the World Energy Council’s World Energy Trilemma Index (WETI) 2017 for the third consecutive year for having the best energy environmental sustainability among 125 countries.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi announced Monday the Philippines’ three-peat in WETI, which ranked countries according to the three criteria: energy security, energy equity and environment sustainability called "trilemma."
“We welcome the good news that the Philippines for the third straight year landed number one in the World Energy Council’s World Energy Trilemma Index 2017 on environmental sustainability,” Cusi said.

WEC defined environmental sustainability as the holistic achievement of supply- and demand-side energy efficiencies and development of energy supply from renewable and other low-carbon sources.

Energy security is the effective management of primary energy supply from domestic and external sources, reliability of energy infrastructure, and ability of energy providers to meet current and future demand. Energy equity is the accessibility and affordability of energy supply across the population.

"Environmental sustainability, energy security and energy equity form part of the country’s energy development program," said Cusi.

The DOE's Renewable Portfolio Standards, which mandates energy distribution utilities to source a minimum portion of their energy from eligible renewable sources, is proof of the national government's thrust towards energy sustainability.

Soon, the DOE will launch the Green Energy Option Program which will enable consumers the power to choose renewable energy resources as their source of energy.

“The WEC rating on environmental sustainability is also a recognition of the administration’s advocacy encouraging Filipinos to make energy efficiency and conservation a way of life," Cusi said.

“Our program on Minimum Energy Performance requirement for household appliances continues to help us control the growth of our total energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," added Cusi.

The national government has also endeavored to improve on the energy security and energy equity dimensions of the country as defined in the WETI.

On energy security, the President signed Executive Order No. 30 creating an Energy Investment Coordinating Council that will spearhead and coordinate national government efforts to harmonize, integrate and streamline regulatory processes, requirements and forms relevant to the development of energy investments in the country.

For energy equity, the DOE’s national energy policy is technology-neutral to allow all available technologies to compete in the delivery of secure and affordable power while complying with environmental standards.

Additionally, the DOE, together with its partners, has intensified its nationwide electrification program using renewable energy systems to attain its vision for total electrification by 2022.

The DOE is also under the final stage of issuing an Energy Resiliency Policy that would address challenges in the energy systems after a natural or human-induced disaster and build back better for a sustainable energy system.

“We will continue to develop our indigenous and environmentally friendly sources of energy and make our communities more energy-efficient,” Cusi concluded.

Liter of Light Attempts Guinness World Record for Building Solar Lights to Raise Awareness for Sustainable Energy

Wazzup Pilipinas!

On Wednesday, January 10, 2018, social enterprise Liter of Light will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for building solar light in order to raise awareness and action for the millions of people in the Philippines and around the world who lack access to clean, affordable energy.

The Guinness World Record attempt will take place in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, under the patronage of the Zayed Future Energy Prize in celebration of its 10th year anniversary.

Liter of Light won the seventh edition of the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the Non-Profit Organization (NPO/NGO) category in 2015, and is the only Filipino organization to have won this prestigious prize.

The world’s biggest award for renewable energy and sustainability honored the organization for an innovative lighting solution that addresses the combined challenge of climate change, energy security, and the environment. The Liter of Light empowers communities by training locals how to manufacture and install solar lights, creating hundreds of job opportunities for sectors not commonly involved with energy, such as rural women’s cooperatives, youth groups, and refugee camps.

The Guinness World Record attempt will call on thousands of students and young volunteers to participate in an environmental sustainability lesson, where they will build simple, repairable solar lights that will be rendered into an art installation at the end of the day.

“Liter of Light’s Guinness World Record endeavor is about more than setting a new milestone for community-built solar lighting,” said Illac Diaz, Founder and Executive Director of the Liter of Light. “In organizing this large-scale action, we want to raise awareness for the millions who continue to live without access to clean energy, including the tens of thousands of Muslim Filipinos in the southern areas of Mindanao.”

Liter of Light has already brought 131 streetlights and thousands of community-built solar lights to Marawi as part of relief efforts, but tens of thousands remain displaced by the conflict. Without access to electricity, the communities in the post-conflict zone will continue to suffer from increased vulnerability to theft and violence.

Construction of South East Metro Manila Expressway Project to Start In April 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Traveling from Quezon City to Taguig in just 35 minutes will soon become a reality with the construction of the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME) finally underway.

Earlier today, the Department of Transportation - Toll Regulatory Board (DOTr-TRB), in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), led the groundbreaking and time capsule laying for the first phase of the SEMME or the C-6 Expressway Project. Construction is targeted to start in April 2018, however, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade instructed concessionaire San Miguel Corp. to start the construction sooner.

“We hope to start construction in April 2018, but Secretary Tugade wants us to start earlier. What we can say is that we will do our best to make this possible at the soonest possible time,” SMC Engineer Norberto Conti said during the briefing of the SEMME project.

The transport chief regarded the C-6 Expressway project as a project that was made possible with the full cooperation and support of concerned national and local government agencies and the private sector.

“Ngayon, nagpupulong tayo para maisakatuparan ang pangarap ng taumbayan na mapasimulan itong C-6 expressway project. Ang mensahe natin ngayong umaga — nagawa ang proyektong ito dahil united at buo ang gabinete ng Pangulo,” Tugade said.

The SEMME project is a 34.024-kilometer, six-lane, combined elevated and at-grade expressway with two directional traffic flow. It will start in the south with a connection to the existing Skyway Stage 1 in FTI, Taguig City, and would terminate in Batasan Complex in Quezon City. It will eventually connect to the North Luzon Expressway via Balagtas.

Aside from decongesting roads in Manila and Quezon City, particularly major road networks such as EDSA, C-5, Ortigas Avenue, and its extension, SEMME shall likewise provide commuters and motorists fast and direct access by South and Southeast, as well as Metro Manila inter-city travelers, to major international and domestic airports.

Once completed, travel time from Bicutan, Taguig to Batasan, Quezon City will be reduced to only 35 minutes.

Phase 1 of the project is targeted to be completed in 2020.

Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, meanwhile, said the Build,Build,Build team “will work 24/7 to make the project possible.”

“Abangan ninyo po ang sunod-sunod na ground-breaking ceremonies this year. These are infrastructure projects that will lead to the accomplishment of the Build, Build, Build vision, soon,” Villar said.

For her part, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano lauded the efforts of the Build,Build,Build team in making the long-awaited C-6 project a reality.

“It appears our hope and aspirations are now a tangible reality. I am excited for our fellow Filipinos who will soon take advantage of this expressway project that will surely boost connectivity and mobility here in Metro Manila,” the Taguig local chief executive said.

The groundbreaking ceremony was also attended by Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and CEO Vince Dizon, and Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares.