A $5-million, or roughly equivalent to P225- million, program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and which is meant to bring down the cost of power in the Philippines, was launched on Tuesday.
The US government-supported Energy Policy and Development Program (EPDP) is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Philippine government to formulate coherent and evidence-based policies and strategies toward environmentally sound energy development.
It is a four-year project that involves research, policy development, capacity building in dealing with energy policy concerns, and information dissemination. The USAID and the implementing agency of the program, UPecon Foundation Inc., have partnered to promote an energy policy and reform agenda.
“This new partnership will help develop and promote knowledge, research and best practices in the energy sector that will be important to sustain the impressive growth achieved by the Philippines in the recent years,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg said.
EPDP will operate as an independent think tank that guides and informs policy and decision-making, and provides inputs to establish an academic and policy program at the University of the Philippines. It will also help inform private-sector business strategies in ways that support sustainable economic development.
“The Philippine Development Plan Midterm Update 2011-2016 emphasizes the need for sustainable, reliable and efficient use of energy resources, as well as the development of environment-friendly energy technologies. The EPDP can provide invaluable guidance to stakeholders in the energy sector and policy-makers in government in the crucial years ahead,” said Director General Arsenio M. Balasican of the National Economic and Development Authority.
The program will assist the UP School of Economics to develop institutional linkages with US universities and institutions with expertise in the energy sector such as University of Hawaii, Tufts University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, International Food Policy Research Institute, and University of California Energy Institute.
EPDP builds upon a long history of partnership between the US and the Philippines, which was solidified under the bilateral Partnership for Growth (PFG). “The US government, through USAID, will continue to support the government of the Philippines’ efforts to reduce the high cost of electricity and promote affordable power,” said USAID Mission Director Gloria Steele.