By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, Mar 13 (PNA) — The Philippines will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Ministers Meeting in Cebu with the theme “Towards an Energy Resilient APEC Community” from October 12-14 this year, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
“The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies are all set to converge in Cebu this coming October as the Philippines, led by the Department of Energy, takes pride in hosting the 12th Energy Ministers Meeting (EMM12),” the DOE said in a statement Friday.
DOE secretary Jericho Petilla said the meeting will impart lessons learned on how countries mitigated the power supply damages of Hurricane Katrina in the United States on 2005, the 2007 Tabasco and Chiapas Floods in Mexico, the 2009 Sumatra Earthquake in Indonesia, the 2011 Tohuku Earthquake in 2011 and Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines in 2013.
“Learning from the experiences of APEC economies and other nations over the years, it is high time to shift our goal of sustainable development to focus on mitigating the impacts of disasters and natural calamities on our energy infrastructures,” Sec. Petilla said.
In the Philippines, Typhoon Yolanda toppled a lot of infrastructures including transmission lines in Eastern Visayas, cutting off power in the areas for more than three months.
The DOE said the APEC Energy Ministers Meeting will discuss the practices of climate-proofing energy infrastructures, energy efficient technologies, community-based clean energies with the aim of alleviating poverty and energy trade in the APEC Community.
The 11th Energy Ministers Meeting pushed for cooperation to address energy security and sustainable development. It was held in China last year on September 2 and 3.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific.
APEC economies include: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States and Vietnam. (PNA)