The provincial government of Negros Oriental on January 28 marked a significant milestone in its commitment to protecting its status as a “green” province with the launch of its very own Clean, Renewable Energy (RE) ordinance. It is also the first of its kind from a local government unit (LGU) across the whole country.
The launch was led by Governor Roel Degamo in a multi-sectoral event held in Sidlakang Negros Village in Dumaguete City and broadcast online for guests and stakeholders outside the province.
Attendees included Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, D.D. of the Diocese of San Carlos, Negros Occidental and convenor of civil society group REpower Negros; Dr. Juvileo Acabal, General Manager of Negros Oriental I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NORECO I); Silliman University President Dr. Betty C. McCann; Energy Development Corporation (EDC) President & Chief Operating Officer Richard B. Tantoco; and Department of Energy Visayas Field Office OIC-Regional Director Russ Mark T. Gamallo.
The RE code was proposed by Edward Du, former president of the internationally awarded Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) and immediate past PCCI 7 (Central Visayas) Regional Governor; and authored by Board Member and Chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s (SP) Environment & Energy Committee Jose A. Baldado.
The ordinance was unanimously approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, in concurrence with timely climate action considering the devastating impact of global warming. It was unanimously passed by the Sanggunian Panlalawigan on December 23, 2021, and signed into law by Governor Degamo on January 11, 2022.
”The renewable energy ordinance is a landmark piece of local legislation that will surely boost the morale of our environmental warriors and champions in the field, and most of all, this will give us more drive to continue sustain our efforts for a clean and sustainable world,” said Degamo.
“This historic ordinance is very timely and relevant because, in spite of all the political differences, all the members of the Sanggunian crossed party lines and unanimously approved this ordinance,” added Du.
The RE Code is the first ordinance of its kind in the Philippines focused on incentivizing incoming RE investors through carbon credits, as it prioritizes the use of clean sources of power and bans the construction of coal-fired power plants in the province.
Du also revealed that Almana Power Corporation (APC), a 100-percent Filipino-owned business committed to providing clean, renewable, sustainable and cost-effective power in the country, is the first entity to apply and avail of the tax incentives under this code.
Further, the RE code encourages all eligible institutions and companies to avail of the government’s Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) that allows power consumers with monthly consumption of at least 100 kilowatts to get electricity from a renewable energy source directly from licensed GEOP providers.
EDC subsidiary Green Core Geothermal Inc. is a licensed GEOP provider. “We are one with Governor Degamo and the rest of the Negros Oriental local government in our commitment to preserving your green province,” said Tantoco.
EDC owns and operates the Southern Negros Geothermal Project (SNGP) located in Valencia, providing uninterrupted supply of clean, renewable power to Negros Island and to the rest of the Visayas region for almost 40 years.
“For NORECO I, we support this ordinance. We also congratulate EDC and Green Core for supporting this because this will give favorable effects not just for the [electric cooperatives], not just for our consumers but for the environment and even for the planet,” said Acabal.
The provincial government will also form an RE council to pursue policy-making actively, which will accelerate RE development programs for a greener, energy self-sufficient and sustainable province.
Previously, Negros Oriental has already banned the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the province when Governor Degamo signed and released Executive Order 9 on March 28, 2018, declaring the province as an environment-friendly and clean energy LGU. Further, Negros Oriental was the first LGU to declare the commemoration of Renewable Energy Day every 5th of March through Executive Order 22-18, which he signed in December 2018.
Negros Oriental’s RE ordinance aims to increase RE investments in the province and help lessen the utilization of coal, which continues to provide about 55 percent of the country’s power supply.
The ordinance shall enable Negros Oriental to be the first province with a firm commitment to lower its carbon footprint and help in the global fight against climate change, fortifying its pledge to become a greener province.
