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| Si Cong. Lord Allan Velasco bilang chairperson ng House Committee on Energy |
Inaprubahan
sa third reading sa Mababang Kapulungan ang Energy Virtual One-Stop-Shop (EVOSS
Bill), o House Bill No. 8147.
Ang
Pilipinas sa ilalim ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ay naglalayong maging isang
high middle income economy pagdating ng 2022.
Sa
inaasahang pagtaas ng economic activities ay inaasahan din ang pagtaas ng
pangangailangan sa enerhiya. Dahilan dito, higit na mahalaga na maakit ang mga
power generation developers pati na rin ang pagpapabilis sa konstruksyon ng mga
power plants sa bansa.
Napag-alaman
na daan-daang pirma ang kinakailangan at dose-dosenang mga permits mula sa iba’t-ibang
mga tanggapan ng pamahalaan para lamang ang mga energy resource investors ay
makapagpagawa ng power plants, isang bagay na nakakapigil sa mga power
generation companies na mag-invest sa Pilipinas.
Bilang
chairperson ng House Committee on Energy at co-author ng bill, nasabi ni
Velasco na “Gusto naming i-streamline ang napakahabang proseso ng pagbibigay ng
mga permit, at bawasan ang gastos ng mga generation companies para
makapagsimula silang mamuhunan sa bansa, at ito’y magpapababa rin sa generation
charges bilang resulta ng bumabang cost of doing business.”
Inihayag
ni Velasco ang kanyang pasasalamat at sinabing inaasahan din niya na ito’y
magiging batas sa madaling panahon para mabiyayaan ang electric consumers sa
buong bansa.
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| A wind power project in Ilocos Norte |
On Nov 20, 2018, the House of Representatives
approved on Third Reading House Bill No. 8147 or The Energy Virtual One-Stop-Shop
Bill (or “EVOSS bill”).
The Philippines, under the
administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, aims to become a high middle
income economy by 2022. The expected increase in economic activity entails an
increase in energy demand. As such, it is important to attract power generation
developers, as well as fast-track the construction of power plants. However, it
has been observed that it takes hundreds of signatures and dozens of permits
from different government offices for energy resource investors who want to put
up power plants, thus discouraging many power generation companies to invest in
the Philippines.
Cong. Lord Allan Velasco, chairperson
of the House Committee on Energy, as well as co-author of this bill, worked for
its passage with the aim of addressing the situation “ We want to streamline
the lengthy permitting process and reduce the cost of doing business for
generation companies, which in turn would encourage competition by attracting
more power generation companies to invest in the country, and would indirectly
reduce generation charges as a result of reduced cost of business.”
Cong. Velasco expresses his sincere
gratitude, and says he expects the said bill to be passed into law shortly for
the benefit of Filipino electricity consumers nationwide.
