Rising electricity demand is placing growing strain on the Philippines’ power system, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to recently call for a fresh look at nuclear energy as part of the country’s national energy grid during his State of the Nation Address. But one lawmaker says revisiting the issue is not enough—the government must move quickly from discussion to action.
Representative Mark O. Cojuangco, who chairs the House Special Committee on Nuclear Energy, notes that while momentum is building, progress has been too slow. Two important pieces of legislation are now in motion: House Bill 8567, or the Nuclear Energy Sector Integration Act, and the newly signed law creating the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, known as PhilATOM. Even so, Cojuangco is urging the administration to speed up efforts to bring nuclear power into the country’s energy mix and to move forward with reviving the Bataan-based Philippine Nuclear Power Plant.
“Nuclear power cannot remain an option we revisit. We need to see real progress from the government and a clear direction for where our energy security is headed right now,” Cojuangco said. He warned that time is not on the country’s side: “The administration’s term will eventually end, but the energy demand will not. If our country does not immediately act on this, we keep on delaying addressing our energy needs.”
Civil society group Alpas Pinas, which advocates for nuclear energy as a clean, sustainable power source, echoes the call for faster action. Lead convenor Dr. Gayle Certeza says the need to diversify the country’s energy supply has never been clearer, pointing to years of recurring power shortages and electricity rates that remain among the highest in Southeast Asia.
“We cannot solve today’s problems with the same solutions,” Certeza said. “President Marcos Jr. has already recognized the potential of nuclear energy; it now needs to move and act accordingly with the right actions to ensure that the energy capacity we need in the future is already being worked on today. The recommissioning of the Philippine Nuclear Power Plant in Bataan is crucial and integral to our country’s energy plans.”
As demand for electricity continues to climb, the central challenge facing policymakers remains turning renewed interest into tangible progress—and making nuclear energy a reliable, official part of the Philippines’ long-term energy solution.
