Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla assured the Senate on Wednesday, Aug. 10 that the country currently has enough reserves for the next six months provided that there would be no major breakdowns of power plants.

“But for the summer months, I have to tell you that I'm beginning to have concerns about that and we will do our best precisely to address stranded power out there,” Lotilla said.

Lotilla issued the statement during the first hybrid organizational meeting of the Senate Committee on Energy chaired by Senator Rafael ‘’Raffy’’ Tulfo.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, vice chairperson of the energy panel, noted that the country had about 22 red alerts and 154 yellow alerts over the last six years and it has become a tradition for the committee to hear about the Philippines' power outlook.

“So my question is, in the next six months and also extending it to the next 12 months, will we have red alerts and yellow alerts?” Gatchalian asked.

In his opening statement, Tulfo recognized the daunting task of the committee, especially at a time when the cost of electricity and fuel are soaring at a never-before-seen heights.

For his part, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III asked Lotilla to issue a directive that would require distribution utilities to have a standardized format in the electric billing statement.

Pimentel made the request when he attended the briefing of the Senate energy panel by the DOE on energy-related issues.

He stressed the importance of making the electric bill easier to read so that all charges such as generation charge, transmission charge, systems loss, and taxes are seen with just “one look” at the bill.

The former Senate President also asked Lotilla to explain to the public the tax on an already imposed tax, as well as the subsidies in the electric bill.

Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros in the same organizational meeting asked about the long-standing problems on Off-Grid, Island-Based Distribution Utilities as well as Lotilla's thoughts on lawmakers' desire to review and update the 21-year-old Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA ) law.

"My maternal grandfather is from Naujuan, that's why I am very concerned on off-grid islands and their off-grid island-based distribution utilities and their festering long standing problems which, I really think, requires further investigation," Hontiveros said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Lotilla assured the committee of their willingness and intent to work with Congress to address all problems in the energy sector

Senator Pia Cayetano expressed her willingness to work with the DOE in future-proofing the energy sector.

Cayetano said it is important for DOE to craft an energy roadmap that is in line with the country’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. “No matter what you say, there would always be a tug-of-war between the need to address the current needs versus the future needs. That’s why I am volunteering the Committee (on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking) as well, to assist in overseeing the future plan,” Cayetano said.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa appealed to the DOE to look into the energy problem in Mindanao.

“I hope you can help our town mates in Mindanao who lost their power because they could not meet the high cost of energy. Perhaps you can restore their electricity and bring down the cost,” Dela Rosa asked Lotilla.

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito asked Lotilla if he could suggest other sources of energy that would bring down the cost of electricity in the Philippines. “I think the high cost of electricity and weak infrastructure are two things which make our country unattractive,” Ejercito said.

According to Ejercito, he recently filed a bill on a comprehensive masterplan for infrastructure development, which included the transportation and energy sectors.

“We should have a longer plan that includes energy for the next 50 to 100 years. I am hoping you can provide us your recommendation on energy sources which we could include in the comprehensive master plan,” Ejercito added.