Sponsorship Speech of Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda on the Confirmation of the Ad Interim Appointment of Atty. Raphael Perpetuo M. Lotilla as Secretary of the Department of Energy
Session Hall, Senate of the Philippines
7 December 2022

Mr. Chairman, my dear colleagues:

It is my honor and privilege to sponsor the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of my kasimanwa, my fellow Antiqueño, Atty. Raphael Perpetuo M. Lotilla as Secretary of the Department of Energy.

Secretary Lotilla is one of the best legal minds around with a vast experience in energy policy formulation and regulation. He is a man of high integrity and a true professional.

The energy sector is one that plays a vital role in accelerating the socio-economic progress of the nation, by ensuring that energy is accessible, sufficient, stable, and secure, while harnessing the private sector to play its role as engine of growth. The position of Secretary of this important sector thus requires someone who has deep knowledge on energy matters and the ability to face the challenges inherent in the job. It requires one with a strong political will, and necessitates a tireless individual committed to his country's cause.

Allow me to cite some of his achievements to show his credentials. Secretary Lotilla, a former Editor-in-Chief of the UP Collegian, is one hardworking and competent professional who could provide the kind of governance necessary in shepherding the energy sector. As a simple and low-profile public servant, Secretary Lotilla or simply Popo to friends and contemporaries, is no stranger to the energy industry. He was the Chairman and CEO of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM), the government corporation tasked to manage the privatization of generation assets, IPP contracts and other non-power assets, including the management of the financial obligations of the National Power Corporation (NPC), and of course a former energy secretary under the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He has served in government for more than 20 years in various capacities, first as a professor in the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law, Undersecretary at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) under three Presidents, and as I mentioned earlier as Chairman and CEO of PSALM, besides sharing his expertise as legal consultant to several Senate Presidents and Senators.

Today, Secretary Lotilla has already accomplished a number of significant policies which could help accelerate this Administration's energy goal of moving toward a self-reliant and sustainable low-carbon future and ensuring affordable energy access to our people. First, on renewable energy. More job opportunities for our people will be unlocked as he shepherds the opening up to 100 percent foreign ownership investments in renewable energy sector. Cleaner air for the environment will be felt as the DOE increased from 1 percent to 2.52 percent the utilization of renewable energy in on-grid areas while the country's exposure to price fluctuations in the global market will be minimized. The supply and delivery of electric power will be more stable and secure from international geopolitical tensions as the DOE worked hard to allow qualified and registered renewable energy generating units the preferential dispatch in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market or WESM. We are also aware that the gentleman from Sibalom, Antique, Secretary Lotilla is now crafting a policy and administrative framework that will ensure the efficient and optimal development of one of the sub-sectors of renewable energy --- the offshore wind, as this government is receiving considerable interests to invest in offshore wind development. This is a new energy technology that countries in the Asia Pacific region and Europe are developing while our country has a great potential both for offshore and onshore wind development. Shouldn't we proud that as early as now, Secretary Lotilla is already laying the foundation for the use of this new technology so that our next generation would no longer be burdened of having to experience the use of fossil fuels which are the origin of greenhouse gasses that cause global warming?

Second, on the acceleration of alternative fuels for transportation. We are seeing that the electric vehicle industry is gradually realizing its vision to modernize and electrify the road transport in the country. During the last Congress, we passed Republic Act No. 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act. Now that its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) has been promulgated, he is working to implement the vison of Congress to facilitate an enabling environment for the development of electric vehicles as a feasible mode of transportation to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. He seeks to develop, particularly, a comprehensive plan for the electric vehicle industry to generate demand for the transportation sector, consistent with the Chairman's approach in cushioning the impact of higher fuel prices in the international market.

Worthy of note is his urgent desire to stabilize the supply of electricity, particularly this coming summer, as the country faces the declining natural gas from the Malampaya-Camago reservoir. Secretary Lotilla is taking concrete steps towards realizing this goal by ensuring that there is enough capacity supplied through various sources, including the coordination and monitoring of the timely completion of the transmission lines to unlock stranded capacities.

Mr. Chairman, this is on a lighter note. Who would not recall Secretary Lotilla's frugal lifestyle which were legend at UP Diliman. After all he was already a professor then. It was his simple ways that were partly the reason why as a professor at the UP College of Law, aspiring lawyers many of whom are now some of today's prominent lawyers and lawmakers were inspired and even considered following his lead by embracing a vow of poverty. Up until now, we see him as a very simple man with no taint of corruption issues, whose only desire is for our nation to have a stable, secure, and sustainable energy to achieve higher economic growth and better economic opportunities for the populace.

Mr. Chairman, I am certain that most of us here are not aware that Secretary Lotilla is a map collector. It is from this passion that brought him to many places by keenly examining maps. Through these maps that he has collected, he has "traveled" to many places and through different periods in history. By collecting maps, he has discovered the mysterious life of the past, the undiscovered truths about the Philippines, and the untold stories about the Filipino people. And so why am I telling you this? Will this make him more qualified to head the energy sector? Mr. Chairman, it tells us of his keen eye for details while retaining a broad view. A focus on the here and now, guided by a vision of what is to come. These indicate an ability to efficiently allocate his cognitive resources to achieve thoroughness and accuracy when accomplishing tasks. I believe that Secretary Lotilla is more than just a hardworking, brilliant, and a competent professional, he also has the merit and fitness required for the position.

Having said that, Mr. Chairman, my colleagues, I respectfully move for the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Atty. Raphael Perpetuo Mercado Lotilla as Secretary of the Department of Energy.

I so move, Mr. Chairman.