(Taguig City) In the wake of President Rodrigo Duterte's pronouncement that the administration will not honor the December 2015 Paris agreement on climate change which the Philippines adopted along with 200 countries, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said today the country will implement an energy policy that meets our specific economic requirements.

"We will chart our own course in so far as energy is concerned to ensure energy supply security considering that developing countries like the Philippines have low carbon emissions. President Duterte is correct in saying that the country is still in the process of industrialization. We must therefore use whatever energy resources are available and affordable for power generation," Cusi said.

"While we signed the Paris agreement last year committing ourselves to limit our carbon emissions, we cannot ignore the fact that our level of economic development at this point does not allow us to rely completely on renewable energy sources or clean energy," Cusi added.

"We need diversified energy sources to support our growing economy. The Department of Energy is formulating a strategic fuel policy mix to propel the country's growing economy," Cusi emphasized.

"We need to build more baseload power plants while also aggressively pushing for clean energy," he added.

“The DOE,” Cusi stressed, "stands firm in promoting energy efficiency and conservation to complement its thrust for clean energy development following the country's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions on climate change mitigation efforts."

Cusi added, “We will continue to adhere to internationally accepted environmental standards in our energy use." The DOE is working with the National Economic Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Climate Change Commission to develop a balanced and sustainable energy policy framework.

President Duterte said the Paris agreement on climate change is "blocking the progress of developing countries like the Philippines" and that the industrialized countries are “dictating the destiny” of developing ones by requiring them to cut carbon emissions.

During the election campaign, Duterte said that industrialized nations should help developing ones comply with the Paris agreement by providing financial assistance to cope with climate change.

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