WHEREAS, Section 5 of Republic Act No. 7638, as amended by Section 37 of Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), mandates the Department of Energy (DOE) to, among others, 1) ensure the reliability, quality and supply of electric power, and 2) establish and administer programs for the exploration, transportation, marketing, distribution, utilization, conservation, stockpiling and storage of energy resources of all forms, whether conventional or non-conventional;