Prior to moving to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), former Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla said that the country’s energy situation has somehow improved under his wing, even as other problems have yet to find their solutions.

During his final press briefing as Department of Energy (DOE) chief last week, Lotilla explained that the country currently has 13,000 megawatts (MW) worth of committed projects between 2025 to 2028.

“I think it’s important to recall that since President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] came into office, over 2,900 or almost 3,000 MW of new capacity was installed from July 2022 to February 2025. The commercial operations of 32 newly constructed generation facilities, and more than half of that installed capacity is from renewable energy (RE),” he elaborated.

“We hope to increase the number of those committed projects… The availability of what I mentioned, which is the additional or unused liquefied natural gas (LNG) reception and regasification facilities,” Lotilla said.

According to the former Energy chief, the country is utilizing 4,500 MW worth of LNG, while there are 3,500 MW worth of additional capacity.

During his three-year stint at the DOE, he observed the depletion of the Malampaya gas field, which was eventually addressed through drilling activities.

“Now, we have more regular supply from Malampaya, even though the field itself is depleting. That also explains why we are committed to ensuring the additional drilling is going to take place,” he said.

To recall, the DOE reported the fourth phase of movements at Malampaya, including the arrival and deployment of vessels and drilling operations.

Aside from supply concerns, Lotilla assured that the DOE remains committed to pursuing the government’s energy agenda, citing the agency’s goals to complete transmission projects.

Moreover, recently appointed DOE Officer-in-Charge Sharon S. Garin emphasized that recent reforms in the energy sector have made the country more attractive to RE investments.

“The first issuance of [former Secretary Lotilla] was to open up the RE to 100-percent foreign ownership direct investments. We became number two in the world as the most attractive destination for RE investments,” she said.

Garin also noted that the DOE has contracts in the pipeline, stating that “We [will] continue the policies and reforms that Secretary Lotilla has done.”

With the recent Cabinet reset, energy consumer group ILAW welcomed the appointment of Lotilla to the DENR, emphasizing the importance of integrating clean energy leadership within environmental governance.

According to ILAW, Lotilla had helped drive investor confidence via the Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP), which is a mechanism designed to promote transparency and competition in the procurement of RE capacity to developers through an open and competitive bidding.

“ILAW remains committed to pushing for policies that put people at the center of the energy transition. We extend our support to Secretary Lotilla and to all leaders willing to work transparently and collaboratively toward a greener, more energy-secure Philippines,” it stated.