Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla has implemented the organizational restructuring of his department that seeks to right-size the bureaucracy, strengthen its services to the public and the provides solutions to immediate and long-term dilemmas of the sector.
The first to be completed in the restructuring is the undersecretaries level as they help the energy chief in implementing various policies and programs of the department. With that, the latest to join the team has been Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, who is now handling the concerns of the power sector.
Guevara, who was formerly dean of the University of the Philippines-College of Engineering and previously Undersecretary at the Department of Science and Technology, has been uprooted from her recent appointment as President of state-run National Transmission Corporation.
She joined the league of DOE Undersecretaries Felix William “Wimpy” Fuentebella; Sharon S. Garin, Alessandro O. Sales and Giovanni Carlo J. Bacordo, who were first appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in September last year.
Those recently promoted as Assistant Secretaries have been energy sector veterans Mylene C. Capongcol, who rose from her rank as Director of the Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB); and Mario C. Marasigan who has been the Director of the Electric Power Industry Management Bureau (EPIMB) of the energy department.
The re-organization of the DOE also extended to the level of the directors, as Malacanang released on January 11 this year the formal appointments that had either retained or promoted some of the organic officials at the department.
The organizational restructuring of the department was primarily prompted by the issuance of Memorandum Circular No. 1 when the Marcos administration took over on June 30 last year, wherein it declared vacant certain positions in government agencies until their replacements are designated.
The DOE officials accorded with Director IV rank were Atty Rino E. Abad, who is heading the Oil Industry Management Bureau; Atty Marissa P. Cerezo who has replaced Marasigan in his previous post; and Irma C. Exconde who took on the former post of Capongcol.
The other officials with Director IV rank have been: Nenito C. Jariel Jr. who will be leading the Energy Resource Development Bureau; and Michael O. Sinocruz who has been the Director of the Energy Policy Planning Bureau.
Additionally, the energy officials named with Director III rank were: Demujin F. Antiporda; Luningning G. Baltazar; Ruby B. De Guzman; Elisa B. Morales; Agustus Cesar A. Navarro; Ricardo B. Dela Cruz; Nilo J. Geroche; Rodela I. Romero; and Renante M. Sevilla.
It is widely perceived that Lotilla has digressed from the usual political appointments at the department. Instead, he enforced meritocracy by seriously considering the deep expertise, experience and knowledge of the people who already served at the DOE for years or decades – and that is seen as a very positive step by investors and relevant industry stakeholders.
The most immediate predicaments of the energy sector that the DOE officials will need to focus on for fixes would be the tight power supply condition as well as feared service disruptions in the Luzon grid during this year’s summer months; spikes in power rates; and the volatile prices at oil pumps.