Economic development is inextricably linked to energy; the latter is deemed a necessary ingredient for the accomplishment of the former. Without energy – or electric power in particular – economic development remains limited. Policymaking in terms of energy in the Philippines tends to be focused primarily on energy supply and distribution, and has been more about meeting the demand for electricity than anything else. 

 

Energy security under Philippine policy highlights five components, namely widespread electrification, an adequate and continuous supply of energy, affordability, self-reliance and social and environmental compatibility. However, health and environmental concerns that arise from the sector – which may be considered to fall under the social and environmental compatibility component – are often referred to as externalities, and fall under the mandate of other government agencies, such as the Department of Health and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, respectively. In practice, therefore, energy security is often perceived to pertain only to continuous and affordable power for all.

 

There likewise seems to be limited interagency cooperation in terms of decision-making on energy planning, which lies primarily with the Department of Energy. Input from the National Economic and Development Authority only comes in when government funds and exposure are involved. Private ventures solely fall under the jurisdiction of the DOE with very minimal to no intra-government involvement towards approval, with the exception of DENR. 

 

With regard to non-government actors, communities and other local stakeholders maintain that they have very little – if any – input in energy planning. This could be linked to the general exclusion of “externalities” in the planning process, given that such externalities are more immediately felt by these stakeholders.

Furthermore, there are very few integrated plans, studies or reports produced by government that comprehensively take into consideration such environmental, health, and social externalities of energy, so much more, coal.

 

Ultimately, there is still no single oversight body that ensures the integrity and coherence of coal-fired power plant development in the Philippines vis-à-vis broader economic and public concerns. There is, therefore, what seems to be a gap in the State’s definition of optimum development and development in the context of energy security.