Former and current officials of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) batted Thursday, Feb. 11, for the use of nuclear energy in a bid to lower the cost of skyrocketing power rates in the country. 

Former PNRI director Dr. Alumanda dela Rosa, an expert in radiation chemistry, said the Philippines should start tapping nuclear energy as a reliable and cheap source of electricity.  

“In terms of beneficial effects to the economy, to the environment and to the people themselves, to the consumers, this has been properly documented in countries which use nuclear power for electric generation. I hope that the ongoing study of the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee would be able to convince the policy makers, we really need to do that,”  she told during the first part of the PNRI Women in Nuclear Science Forum held on Thursday as part of the celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls  in Science.

The only woman director and the longest-serving head of the PNRI from 1998 to 2016 expressed belief that “the benefits will outweigh the risk” should the Philippines decide to use nuclear power. 

However, she stressed that the public must be assured that should the country decide to implement a nuclear program, the “high level of safety” must be followed. 

“We in the nuclear field shall be able to assure the public that it is safe. it is on our hands, on our shoulders, especially the nuclear regulator to ensure that should the country go nuclear we can assure that there is high level of safety,” said dela Rosa, who served as a consultant for the Department of Energy (DOE) for matters related to the prospective nuclear power program in the country. 

Glenda Obra, head of the PNRI”s Agriculture Research Section, also agreed with dela Rosa, saying that nuclear energy should be part of the country’s  energy mix.

“For me, I am also for nuclear because I think we need to look into alternatives.  It should be part of the energy mix. In terms of electric consumption, pataas tayo nang pataas (we are exponentially rising),” she said. 

According to her, nuclear power is “a good option” that should be explored by the Philippines.

Obra, a Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardee, cited that many countries have been using the nuclear power "and they are not having problems.”

“I think the issue on safety should be threshed out and the awareness of people on nuclear energy should be intensified. We have to be educated on the importance of nuclear power and the benefits we can derive from nuclear power,” she said.