by Allyssa Nerine Garcia

EDITOR’S NOTE: Nerine is an Administrative Assistant of ICSC. She was part of the core team who led the preparations and execution of the Philippine Energy Transition Dialogue (Ph-ETD) 2025, held last September 3-4 at The Peninsula Manila. 

For more information about the Ph-ETD, which was organized under the Clean, Affordable, and Secure Energy (CASE) for Southeast Asia project, visit https://icsc.ngo/ph-etd/. 

The Philippine Energy Transition Dialogue (Ph-ETD), held last September 3–4, 2025, felt like stepping into the beating heart of the country’s energy story. The Rigodon Ballroom at The Peninsula Manila was filled with people from different sectors and even regions of the Philippines: local government leaders with their words of inspiration, research institutes ready to share their expertise, and renewable energy developers eager to take part in the country’s path towards a cleaner future. It was two very long but ultimately enlightening days filled with narratives and exchanges between key stakeholders coming together with the goal of tackling the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition in the Philippines. 

Prior to joining ICSC, my knowledge on the complexities of the energy sector was limited. My interest began in 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine war brought to light the interdependence of the global networks of grain and oil. While this war was far from the shores of our country, every Filipino still felt the price shock of rising oil prices, which had a ripple effect on our local economy and exacerbated the food crisis. I still remember feeling helpless watching the news as oil prices soared, groceries became more expensive, and jeepney drivers protested fare hikes. I realized how reliant we are on imported energy sources, and it was also around this time that I learned about our country’s potential for renewable energy after writing a course paper on the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. 

Back then, as a student learning about pressing socio-political issues in development, I naively concluded on a “simple” solution: to protect the Filipino people from oil dependence and price instability, we must increase the national renewable energy share by utilizing viable RE sources in our resource-rich country, building more RE power plants, and focusing on pouring investment into RE development projects though fiscal and non-fiscal incentives. “Through these steps, we would achieve energy security”, my younger self wrote, imagining a future where the average Filipino wouldn’t ever worry about expensive electricity bills or blackouts. A few years later, hearing firsthand about the roadblocks and challenges such a transition faced at Ph-ETD, I realized just how complex that vision really is. The energy transition is not just about improving technology or scaling up economics; it is about people, politics, and power in every sense of the word. 

Ph-ETD began with a morning full of messages from key partners as well as a commitment signing, signalling everyone’s shared goal of working together to achieve renewable energy targets. The speeches were hopeful and each one felt like a different lens to view the same challenge. The commitment signing was symbolic, yes, but it meant something important to me— to witness people from different backgrounds choosing to work together for the same vision of an energy secure future.

Following the speeches, it was in the breakout sessions where I truly began to see the puzzle pieces come together: In those smaller function rooms, we talked about the intersection of the renewable energy transition with health, transport, and industry, while also going on a deeper discussion about the role of green jobs, carbon markets, and investment in the development of renewable energy projects in solar and offshore wind.

This was the first ICSC event I ever attended, and it was the best learning opportunity to have an overview of the current status of the RE transition in the Philippines. Moreover, it was apparent to me that despite the challenges and bottlenecks, there is no lack of political will and collective effort. The most striking speech for me was GM Rene Fajilagutan’s presentation on how the Romblon Electric Cooperative (ROMELCO) successfully set up multiple renewable energy projects on the island province of Romblon, reducing the cost of electricity for its residents despite the challenges of being off-grid. Romblon has set an example of the achievable dream of widespread RE adoption while also empowering consumers to be part owners of their power generation facilities. Romblon’s success wasn’t just about energy; it was about empowerment. It was a glimpse of what an inclusive energy future could look like.

With so many presentations and breakout sessions in just two days, it was a bit of an information overload, but I felt that the Philippine Energy Transition Dialogue was an important event to learn about the different perspectives and stakes with the RE transition, as well as to return to why we do it in the first place: not just to lower prices for consumers, but to provide stable and clean energy to the Filipino people who deserve to live a good life, now and for future generations to come.

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