San Carlos Bishop and Caritas Philippines head Gerardo Alminaza criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, July 30, for failing to address urgent environmental threats, including the climate crisis, destructive mining operations, and the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure.
While acknowledging that the President touched on energy topics—such as high electricity rates, nuclear power, petroleum contracts, and hydrogen projects—Alminaza argued that the speech ignored the severe ecological and human realities faced by vulnerable communities.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spoke about electricity prices, petroleum service contracts, hydrogen projects, and nuclear energy. He did not address the climate crisis, destructive mining, or the communities threatened by the continued expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure,” Alminaza said.
The bishop stressed that environmental degradation directly affects everyday livelihoods, as Filipino families continue to grapple with high power bills while enduring severe typhoons, flooding, drought, and damaged agricultural and coastal areas.
“For millions of Filipinos, the environmental crisis is no longer merely ecological. It is economic, social, and deeply human,” he added.
Mixed Feedback on Energy Policies
Alminaza welcomed specific proposals from the speech, such as removing systems loss charges from consumer electricity bills and promoting rooftop solar and battery storage systems through the proposed Sariling Kuryente Act.
“Consumers should never have been made to pay for losses they did not cause,” Alminaza said. “But this is a demand they have raised for decades. It cannot be presented as a sufficient response to the energy crisis.”
“The proposed Sariling Kuryente Act could help families and communities produce their own electricity, particularly during disasters and power interruptions,” he said. “This is where public investment, regulatory reform and political leadership should be directed.”
Call for Broad EPIRA Reforms
Despite praising these steps, the bishop cautioned against relying on nuclear power and fossil gas, arguing that they would deepen dependence on imported fuels, raise safety risks, and burden taxpayers.
Instead, he urged a complete overhaul of the 25-year-old Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).
“Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, these costs are passed on to consumers while power companies are shielded from fuel price increases and supply disruptions.”
“After 25 years, the law has not delivered affordable and reliable power. It has increasingly treated electricity as a commodity for private profit rather than as an essential public service and a common good,” the bishop went on.
“Fossil gas is not clean energy. More gas terminals and power plants will deepen dependence on imported fuel, expose consumers to unstable prices, and lock the country into decades of continued fossil fuel use,” he noted.