The Philippine government is set to establish an independent agency that will focus on energy research to guide the country’s energy policy and decision-making processes.

On July 30, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11572 establishing the Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute (PERPI).

The new institute will be an independent agency attached to the University of the Philippines (UP) and will be tasked with conducting energy research to guide the government in crafting sound energy policy guidelines.

The President of UP, who will serve as the ex-officio chairperson together with six other members of the executive board, will appoint an executive director to lead the institute.

Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, a network of pro-environment organizations, welcomed the enactment of the new law that would strengthen the country’s science-based approaches for “achieving a more sustainable energy sector.”

The group said it could play an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.

“It must be instrumental in producing research, developing policy strategies, and creating partnerships with other energy experts that would allow the country to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent within this decade, as specified under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) towards achieving the goals of the Paris climate agreement,” the group said in a statement.

The group said the institute could “significantly contribute to improving the implementation of energy-related laws” and “educating different stakeholders about the importance of a just transition to cleaner energy sources.”

Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, however, warned against poor governance and the government’s misplaced priorities that could affect the outcome of the new law.

“We remain wary that RA No. 11572 could follow the list of promising climate, energy, and environment laws whose effectiveness have been limited due to poor implementation, conflict of interests, and lack of political will,” the statement read.