Cotabato City (August 23, 2019) – To further advance the planning and development of sustainable energy in the autonomous Bangsamoro region, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE-BARMM) held its first energy forum and planning workshop on August 22-23 in Cotabato City.
Minister Abdulraof Macacua of MENRE-BARMM said the forum “is aimed for us to have a plan before holding a big summit. We are planning to have an energy summit.”
The forum was anchored on the theme: “Strengthening Opportunities for the Bangsamoro Energy Sector as Catalyst for Regional Development.”
Macacua said they will hold the energy summit before the end of this year and it will be attended by Interim Chief Minister AlHajj Murad Ebrahim and President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
He also said many investors, both local and foreign, have shown interest in investing in the development of sustainable energy in the region.
“Our potential partners are more looking on renewable energy and one of those is solar power, they are more inclined on that,” Macacua said. “Germany, for example, they came to us for the sole purpose of seeing the possibility of putting up a solar or renewable energy.”
In his speech read by Cabinet Secretary Asnin Pendatun, Chief Minister Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim said: “We believe that renewable energy is important to sustainable development. Providing households access to electricity is vital in meeting the Sustainable Development Goal specifically SDG 7 which calls for access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.”
“The Bangsamoro government is committed to the protection of our environment and bringing renewable energy to the far-flung areas in the region,” the chief minister added.
The energy forum was a first of its kind. It was organized by the MENRE-BARMM’s Interim Office on Energy, a newly created office.
The Interim Office on Energy is responsible for preparing, integrating, coordinating, supervising and controlling all plans, programs, projects and activities of the BARMM related to energy exploration, development, utilization, distribution and conservation.
During the forum, Dr. Norodin Salam, Deputy Minister on Energy, presented the Interim Office on Energy’s mandates and strategic direction in achieving a sustainable energy in the region. (###)
