MAKATI CITY – Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi on Tuesday (27 November) led the Department of Energy (DOE) in taking a giant stride towards the promotion of energy resiliency to stakeholders, the general public and the business sector.
Secretary Cusi made this headway at the Ayala Tower I in Makati City during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the DOE and the Philippine Disaster Resiliency Foundation, Inc. (PDRF), headed by its President, Rene S. Meily.
The DOE Chief highlighted the DOE’s Energy Resiliency Policy (ERP) to captains of the industry led by Ayala Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and First Pacific Co. Ltd. CEO Manny V. Pangilinan.
PDRF Board Members also present during the signing ceremony were Aboitiz Equity Ventures CEO Erramon Aboitiz and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation President and CEO Cesar Romero.
Sec. Cusi said the ERP fleshes out the government’s disaster risk reduction plans, programs and activities intended to minimize the impact of calamities like earthquakes, typhoons and floods.
The DOE has been moving to ensure that the effects of disasters on the provision of power to the population will be minimal, the Secretary added.
“I am proud to say that prior to the issuance of the ERP, the energy sector has already been proactive in developing resiliency measures,” Sec. Cusi said.
Secretary Cusi also explained that a country’s energy sector is only as strong as the weakest link in the energy chain. As such, each element in the energy chain should be equally resilient to function properly, he added, citing the “need to institutionalize resiliency measures at every phase.”
The DOE and the PDRF agreed under the MOU to regularly have a dialogue and to develop activities towards energy resiliency, conduct joint exercises to test disaster response protocols and engage other sectors in disaster-risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
The DOE Chief was joined by DOE Senior Undersecretary Jesus Cristino Posadas and USec. Alexander Lopez during the ceremonial signing as witnesses.
