Two former Supreme Court justices will head the recently-established advisory panel to guide the Department of Energy in crafting sound and legal policy recommendations for the power sector.
“I am very pleased to announce that the DoE Law and Energy advisory panel has been created. We want to make sure that the recommendations to the President and Congress coming from the DoE are fully grounded on the constitution,” Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla said in an interview with reporters.
The panel will be headed by Senior Legal Advisors from the private sector including Retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban and Retired Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
Lotilla said the former chief justices have agreed to be the co-chairs of the DoE’s Law and Energy Advisory Panel. They will serve as private citizens and will not assume any public office.
“We asked the panel to advise the DoE on improving its legal aspect and to encourage investments. Subject to the panel’s consent, the members and the panel itself will perform and assist in communicating any of the DoE’s legal undertakings,” the energy chief said
The Law and Energy Advisory Panel will focus on advising the DoE on various energy-related reform initiatives and legal matters, including the promotion of indigenous as well as low-carbon sources.
The proposed initial discussions will cover legal issues involving the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in general, including the country’s biggest gas-to-power initiative to date — the Malampaya-Camago project.
The Advisory Panel will also advise the DoE on the objectives, content, and overall substance of the energy sector’s legislative agenda that cover alternative and new technologies.