Bill for ‘safe, peaceful’ use of nuclear energy filed in Senate

A bill seeking to establish a national legal framework for the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy in the Philippines has been filed in the Senate.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, vice chairman of the Senate committee on energy, filed Senate Bill 2506 which provides a “structured legal framework to meet evolving requirements to ensure the safety, security and quality of persons, property, and the environment.”

“By establishing a comprehensive legal framework in the Philippines with strong transparency and governance provisions, we ensure that the complex risks accompanying activities involving nuclear energy and ionizing radiation are addressed and public trust and cooperation are built,” Gatchalian said in his explanatory note.

Under the bill, an independent central nuclear regulatory body named Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission (PAERC) will be created under the Office of the President.

PAERC will have the sole and exclusive regulatory authority over all licensing, protection, safety, and safeguards of relevant activities, facilities and materials.

It will be comprised of five commissioners, one of whom will sit as chairperson, and all of them will be appointed by the president with a term of five years.

At least one commissioner should come from the field of engineering or physics, public health or medicine, law, and environmental science.

The bill prohibits the members of the commission to run for national or local elective posts whether regular or special polls.

PAERC is also required under the proposed law to communicate proactively and initiate dialogue with the public and relevant stakeholders regarding all information pertaining to events involving nuclear installations and radiation facilities that could have an impact on the health, safety, security, and quality of life, property, and the environment.

An advisory board will also be created which will be comprised of the secretaries of the Department of Science and Technology, sitting as chairperson; Department of Health as vice chairperson; and the following as members: secretaries of the Department of Energy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of National Defense, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor and Employment, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, one expert from the academe, one expert from professional associations, one expert from industry, and one representative from civic society organizations.

The bill also establishes a system of authorization, continuous monitoring, and enforcement and entities conducting activities involving nuclear energy will be the prime responsible for safety measures.

Gatchalian’s bill was filed after the Department of Energy said during the budget deliberations at the Senate that the Marcos administration will continue with the Duterte administration’s push for nuclear energy use in the country.

A road map which will provide specifics of the nuclear energy program is expected to be completed by December.

The DOE has also included in its nuclear agenda the enactment of all laws necessary for the adoption of nuclear power in the country, particularly the law that will create the regulatory body for its use.

Apart from Gatchalian, Senators Francis Escudero and Francis Tolentino filed similar bills on nuclear energy regulation in the country. —VAL, GMA Integrated News