Proponents of renewable energy (RE) development in the country converged at the University of Makati (UMak) Theater last January 23, 2019 to formally launch the Developers of Renewable Energy for AdvanceMent, Inc. (DREAM) in elaborate rites.
Spearheaded by former National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) Chairman and Energy Undersecretary Atty. Jay M. Layug, DREAM is the national umbrella organization that unifies all RE industry associations, and provides them with a broader platform to advance the cause of RE mainly through policy advocacy and knowledge sharing. It counts as institutional members six (6) RE associations, namely: National Geothermal Association of the Philippines (NGAP); Biomass RE Alliance (BREA); Confederation of Solar Developers of the Philippines (CDSP); Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA); Philhydro Association, Inc. (Philhydro); and Wind Energy Developers Association of the Philippines (WEDAP).
Former Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay graced the occasion as the keynote speaker. VP Binay—also the Founding Dean of UMak’s School of Law—exhorted the attendees to “work together and put all our abilities and resources into shifting the world to clean energy”, adding that reducing global greenhouse gas emissions through the development and utilization of RE “is an imperative of a responsible stewardship of the planet”.
Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sherwin Gatchalian also attended the affair and expressed their full support for the newly-minted organization. Sen. Zubiri, current Senate Majority Floor Leader and one of the principal authors of the RE Act, emphasized the need for RE developers, distributors, and suppliers alike to continue working together. For his part, Sen. Gatchalian, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, cited the increase in global oil prices and the depletion of the Malampaya natural gas reserves as threats to Philippine energy security which can be mitigated through the continued harnessing of the country’s vast RE resources, thus ensuring energy self-sufficiency.
During the expressions of commitment of member associations, NGAP President Joeffrey Caranto echoed the geothermal sector’s contributions to the development of RE in the country. “As the RE technology with the biggest share in the RE mix, we in the geothermal community stand united with the other RE sectors in pushing for the continued growth of the industry as enshrined in the RE Act, and realize the country’s aspiration for RE sources to account for 35% of the national power mix by 2040”, Caranto stressed.
Senator Gatchalian presided over the oath taking of the members of the DREAM Board of Trustees. Capping the half-day event was the first DREAM Board meeting wherein members discussed the organization’s priority activities for 2019.