Arroyo signs landmark law to address climate change

Manila: A landmark law signed by President Gloria Arroyo on Tuesday will put the country at the forefront of renewable energy development in southeast Asia.

The Renewable Energy Act of 2008 is the first and most comprehensive renewable energy legislation in southeast Asia, Arroyo said.

"We can now move aggressively to develop solar, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, wind and ocean energy technologies," she added.

Arroyo said the passage of the law will prove to be a great step in addressing the global problem of climate change and will serve as a model for other southeast Asian countries to implement similar laws to help save the environment.

The law will help the Philippines to become 60 per cent energy self-sufficient by 2010, she said,

"The Renewable Energy Act provides the legal and institutional framework necessary for harmonising policies on the swift development of renewable energy technologies. From 45 per cent before our administration, we became 57 per cent self-sufficient in energy in 2007, and we aim now to reach 60 per cent by 2010," the president stated.

The Philippines, according to Arroyo, is leading the way in the region towards the adoption of renewable energy resources.