Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____________ 
Introduced by Representative KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines remains heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, exposing the economy 
to volatile global oil prices and supply disruptions. The Renewable Energy Act of 2008 laid the 
foundation for the Philippines’ clean energy transition to help alleviate , but gaps in 
implementation, outdated definitions, and regulatory bottlenecks continue to hinder growth in the 
sector. This bill amends RA 9513 to modernize the renewable energy (RE) framework by 
clarifying RE classifications, streamlining the permit process, strengthening incentives for 
developers and farmers, and institutionalizing local government participation while preventing 
undue delays. 
It likewise addresses investor concerns by confirming that renewable energy resources are 
not subject to constitutional nationality restrictions or term limits, strengthens the Renewable 
Energy Trust Fund, and integrates emerging technologies such as energy storage systems and 
waste-to-energy facilities. These reforms will boost private sector investment, expand sustainable 
energy access, and advance the country’s goals of energy security, environmental protection, and 
inclusive economic development.  
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
DEPUTY SPEAKER KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN 
2nd DISTRICT ILOCOS SUR 
September 2, 2025
6:13 pm
4300


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____________ 
Introduced by Representative KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN 
AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9513,  
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE RENEWABLE ENERGY ACT OF 2008 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
Section 1. 
Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to further 
encourage private sector participation in the exploration, development and utilization of 
renewable energy resources to achieve energy security and self-reliance in a manner that 
balances the goals of economic growth and development with the protection of health 
and the environment. 
Section 2. 
Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9513 (hereinafter, the “Act”) is hereby 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 4. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the following terms are herein 
defined: 
xxx 
xxx 
xxx 
“(b) ‘Biomass resources’ refer to non-fossilized, biodegradable organic material 
originating from naturally occurring or cultured plants, animals and micro-
organisms, including agricultural products, by-products and residues such as, but 
not limited to, biofuels except corn, soya beans and rice but including sugarcane 
and coconut, rice hulls, rice straws, coconut husks and shells, corn cobs, corn 
stovers, bagasse, biodegradable organic fractions of industrial and municipal 
wastes that can be used in bioconversion process and other processes, as well as 
gases and liquids recovered from the decomposition and/or extraction of non-
fossilized and biodegradable organic materials, and municipal waste; 
xxx 
xxx 
xxx 
“(d)  ‘Certificate of Authority’ refers to a pre-RE Contract certificate signed 
by the DOE Secretary authorizing an RE Developer to procure the necessary 
permits and tenurial instruments for the exploration, development, 
construction and installation, and commercial operation of the RE Project 
and conduct reconnaissance and other activities needed for pre-feasibility 
studies; 
4300


“(e) ‘Co-generation systems’ xxx; 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
“(o) ‘Energy Regulatory Commission’ xxx; 
 
“(p) ‘Energy Storage System’ refers to a facility capable of absorbing energy 
directly from the grid or distribution system, or from an RE Plant or from a 
Conventional Plant connected to the grid or distribution system and storing 
it for a period of time, and injecting stored energy when prompted, needed 
to ensure reliability and balanced power system; 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
“(r) ‘Generation Facility’ xxx; 
 
“(s) ‘Geothermal energy’ as used herein and in the context of this Act, shall be 
considered renewable [and the provisions of this Act is therefore applicable 
thereto] if geothermal energy[, as a mineral resource,] is produced through: (1) 
natural recharge, where the water is replenished by rainfall and the heat is 
continuously produced inside the earth; and/or (2) enhanced recharge, where hot 
water used in the geothermal process is re-injected into the ground to produce 
more steam as well as to provide additional recharge to the convection system; 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
“(u) ‘Geothermal Resources’ refer to [mineral resources, classified as] renewable 
energy resources[,] in the form of: (i) all products of geothermal processes, 
embracing indigenous steam, hot water, and hot brines; (ii) steam and other gases, 
hot water, and hot brines resulting from water, gas, or other fluids artificially 
introduced into geothermal formations; (iii) heat or associated energy found in 
geothermal formations; and (iv) any by-product derived from them; 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
“(vv) ‘Renewable Energy Service (Operating) Contract (RE Contract)’ refers to the 
service agreement between the Government, through the DOE, and RE Developer 
over a period in which the RE Developer has the exclusive right to a particular [RE] 
area for exploration and development of RE Resources. The RE Contract shall 
be divided into two (2) stages: the pre-development stage and the 
development/commercial stage. The preliminary assessment and feasibility study 
up to financial closing shall refer to the pre-development stage. The construction 
and installation of facilities up to operation phase shall refer to the development 
stage. ; 
 
“(ww) ‘Renewable Energy Resources’ (RE Resources) refer to energy resources 
that do not have an upper limit on the total quantity to be used. Such resources 
are renewable on a regular basis, and whose renewal rate is relatively rapid to 
consider availability over an indefinite period of time. These include, among others, 
biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, ocean energy, [and] hydropower conforming 
with internationally accepted norms and standards on dams, energy stored and 
dispatched from integrated RE Plant and ESS, and other emerging renewable 
energy technologies; 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx.” 
 
Section 3. 
Section 5 of the Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 


 
“Section 5. Lead Agency. – The DOE shall be the lead agency mandated to 
implement the provisions of this Act. 
 
“Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, the DOE, upon prior clearance that 
there are no existing tenurial rights over public lands from the relevant 
government agency/instrumentality, may grant an RE Developer access 
thereon for the exploration and development of RE resources.” 
 
Section 4. 
A new Chapter III is hereby inserted, and Section 6 of the Act is amended 
to read as follows: 
 
“Chapter III” 
“RE Contract Areas” 
 
“Section 6. RE Contract Areas. – RE Contracts may cover public lands, 
government reservations, including those presently administered or 
unappropriated areas, private lands or other lands subject of agricultural, 
mining, petroleum or other rights or devoted to purposes other than the 
exploration, development and utilization of RE Resources: Provided, That 
the right to enter private lands, and to established easements over such 
lands shall, in the absence of a voluntary agreement with the private 
landowner, be allowed in accordance with RA No. 10752, otherwise known 
as “The Right-of-Way Act: Provided, further, That the RE operations shall not 
unduly prejudice existing agricultural, mining, petroleum or other rights 
vested prior to the effectivity hereof.” 
 
Section 5. 
Chapter V of the Act is hereby renumbered as Chapter VI, and Section 13 
thereof is renumbered as Section 14 and amended, to read as follows: 
 
“Section 14. Government Share. – The government share on existing and new 
RE development projects shall be equal to one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the 
gross [income] sales of RE resource developers resulting from the sale of 
renewable energy produced and such other income incidental to and arising from 
the renewable energy generation, transmission, and sale of electric power except 
for indigenous geothermal energy, which shall be at one-half of one and a half 
percent (0.75%) of gross income.” 
 
Section 6. 
Section 14 of the Act is hereby renumbered as Section 15 and amended to 
read as follows: 
 
“Section 15. Compliance with Environmental Regulations. – All RE 
explorations, development, utilization, and RE systems operations shall be 
conducted in accordance with existing environmental regulations as prescribed by 
the DENR and/or any other concerned government agency. 
 
“The DENR shall, within one (1) year from the effectivity hereof, issue 
streamlined environmental regulations prescribing minimum requirements 
for the conduct of preliminary assessment and feasibility study.” 
 
Section 7. 
Section 15 of the Act is hereby renumbered as Section 16 and amended to 
read as follows: 
 
“Section 16. Incentives for Renewable Energy Projects and Activities. – RE 
developers of renewable energy facilities, including hybrid systems, in proportion 
to and to the extent of the RE component, for both power and non-power 


applications, as duly certified by the DOE, in consultation with the BOI, shall be 
entitled to the following incentives: 
 
“(a) xxx 
 “(b) Duty-free Importation of RE Machinery, Equipment and Materials – Within the 
first ten (10) years upon the issuance of a certification of an RE developer, the 
importation of machinery and equipment, and materials and parts thereof, 
including control and communication equipment, shall not be subject to tariff 
duties: Provided, however, That the said machinery, equipment, materials and 
parts are directly and actually needed and used exclusively in the RE facilities 
for transformation into energy and delivery of energy to the point of use and 
covered by shipping documents in the name of the duly registered operator to 
whom 
the 
shipment 
will 
be 
directly 
delivered 
by 
customs 
authorities: Provided, further, That additional investments in the project 
shall likewise be exempt from tariff duties upon issuance of a 
certification by the DOE: Provided, finally, That endorsement of the DOE is 
obtained before the importation of such machinery, equipment, materials and 
parts are made. 
 
“(c) xxx; 
“(d) Net Operating Loss Carry-Over (NOLCO). – The NOLCO of the RE Developer 
during the first three (3) years from the start of commercial operation which 
had not been previously offset as deduction from gross income shall be carried 
over as a deduction from gross income for the next seven (7) consecutive 
taxable years immediately following the year of such loss: Provided, That 
direct costs of exploratory drilling may be recovered based on a 
diminishing rate to be prescribed by the DOE under which a fresh round 
of such rates shall be applied after discovery of commercially viable 
geothermal steam fields; Provided, however, That operating loss resulting 
from the availment of incentives provided for in this Act shall not be entitled to 
NOLCO; 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx.” 
 
Section 8. 
Section 22 of the Act is hereby renumbered as Section 23 and amended to 
read as follows: 
 
“Section 23. Incentives for Farmers Engaged in the Plantation of Biomass 
Resources. – [For a period of ten (10) years after the effectivity of this Act,] All 
individuals and entities engaged in the plantation of crops and trees used as 
biomass resources such as but not limited to jatropha, coconut, and sugarcane, as 
certified by the Department of Energy, shall be entitled to duty-free importation and 
be exempted from Value-Added Tax (VAT) on all types of agricultural inputs, 
equipment and machinery such as, but not limited to, fertilizer, insecticide, 
pesticide, tractor, trailers, trucks, farm implements and machinery, harvesters, 
threshers, hybrid seeds, genetic materials, sprayers, packaging machinery and 
materials, bulk handling facilities, such as conveyors and mini-loaders, weighing 
scales, harvesting equipment, and spare parts of all agricultural equipment: 
Provided, That within one (1) year from effectivity hereof, the Sugar 
Regulatory Administration, Philippine Coconut Authority and other 
concerned government instrumentalities shall, in coordination with the DOE, 
promulgate regulations which ensure that savings resulting from the 
incentives hereunder are passed on to the biofuel producers  in the form of 
lower prices of biomass feedstock.” 
 
Section 9. 
Section 25 of the Act is hereby renumbered as Section 26 and amended to 
read as follows: 


 
“Section 26. Registration of RE Developers and local manufacturers, 
fabricators and suppliers of locally-produced renewable energy equipment. 
– RE Developers and local manufacturers, fabricators and suppliers of locally-
produced renewable energy equipment shall register with the Department of 
Energy, through the Renewable Energy Management Bureau. After registration, 
a certification shall be issued to each RE Developer and local manufacturer, 
fabricator and supplier of locally-produced renewable energy equipment to serve 
as the basis of their entitlement to incentives provided under Chapter VII of this 
Act.” 
 
Section 10. A new Chapter X is hereby inserted which reads, as follows: 
 
“Chapter X” 
“Prior Consultation with Local Government Units” 
 
“Section 28. RE projects covered by COA or RE Contract shall be 
implemented upon compliance with the requirement for prior approval of the 
Sanggunian concerned under RA No. 7160; Provided, That such approval 
may be withheld only if: 
 
(a) Reclassification of the area designated as RE project site will go beyond 
the allowable percentage of the total agricultural land area; 
 
(b) The RE project is inconsistent with the approved local development plan 
and public investment program of the LGU concerned; or 
 
(c) Issued with the concurrence of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and/or 
Sangguniang Panlungsod concerned.  
 
“Notwithstanding Section 27 of RA No. 7160, as amended, the approval of the 
Sanggunian may be withdrawn or revoked for similar causes as above only 
if the RE Developer has not commenced construction of the RE project and 
upon prior public hearing which shall be attended by the DOE, DILG, Anti-
Red Tape Authority and the RE Developer. The RE Developer, through the 
DOE, may appeal such withdrawal or revocation to the Office of the 
President.” 
 
Section 11. A new Chapter XI is hereby inserted to read as follows: 
 
“Chapter X” 
“Nationality Requirement and Term Limits”  
 
“Section 28. RE resources shall be deemed outside the scope of natural 
resources under Section 2, Article XII of the Constitution.  
 
“For the avoidance of doubt, the nationality requirement and the maximum 
term limit of fifty (50) years provided under Section 2, Article XII of the 
Constitution shall not apply to the exploration, development and utilization 
of RE resources.”  
 
Section 12. Chapter IX of the Act is hereby renumbered as Chapter XII, and Section 27 
thereof is hereby renumbered as Section 30 and amended, to read as follows: 
 
“Chapter XI” 
“General Provisions” 
 


“Section 30. Creation of the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB). – The 
NREB is hereby created. It shall be composed of the DOE Secretary or his 
designate, as Chairman, and one (1) representative each from the following 
agencies: [DOE,] DTI, DOF, DENR, NPC, TransCo or its successor-in-interest, 
PNOC and PEMC who shall be designated by their respective secretaries on a 
permanent basis; and one (1) representative each from the following sectors: RE 
Developers, Government Financial Institutions (GFIs), private distribution utilities, 
electric cooperatives, electricity suppliers and non-governmental organizations, 
duly endorsed by their respective industry associations and all to be appointed by 
the President of the Republic of the Philippines for a term of seven (7) years. 
Appointment to any vacancy shall be only for the unexpired portion of the 
term of the predecessor.” 
  
Section 13. Section 28 of the Act is hereby renumbered as Section 31 and amended to 
read as follows: 
 
“Section 31. Renewable Energy Trust Fund (RETF). – xxx 
 
 
“The RETF shall be funded from: 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
“(d) One and 1/2 percent (1.5%) of the net annual dividends [remitted to the 
National Treasury] of the Philippine National Oil Company and its subsidiaries; 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
 
 
xxx 
 
“All remittances to the National Treasury from funds mentioned herein shall 
be net of the percentage allotted as contribution to the RETF. The DOF, in 
consultation with the Commission on Audit, shall issue the rules needed for 
the proper implementation hereof. Non-compliance herewith is hereby 
declared a prohibited act under Section 35 of the Act.” 
 
Section 14. Section 30 of the Act is hereby renumbered as Section 33 and amended to 
read as follows: 
 
“Section 33. Adoption of Waste-To-Energy (WTE) Technologies. – [The DOE] 
Local Government Units or clusters thereof if the volume of WTE feedstock 
from municipal waste is not commercially viable, shall[, where practicable, 
encourage the adoption of] integrate [waste-to-energy facilities] WTE 
technologies such as, but not limited to, biogas systems in their respective solid 
waste management plans, including the collection, transport, storage and 
processing of WTE feedstock and its residues.  The DOE shall, in coordination 
with the DENR, Department of Health, and other concerned government 
agencies, ensure compliance with this provision. 
 
As used in this Act, waste-to-energy technologies shall refer to systems which 
convert to biodegradable materials such as, but not limited to, animal manure or 
agricultural waste, and/or municipal waste into useful energy through processes 
such as anaerobic digestion, fermentation and gasification, incineration, among 
others, subject to the provisions and intent of Republic Act No. 8749 (Clean Air Act 
of 1999) and Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 
2000). 
 
Section 15. Section 35 of Act is hereby renumbered as Section 38 and amended to read 
as follows: 
 


“Section 38. Prohibited Acts. The following acts shall be prohibited: 
 
(a) xxx; 
 
(e) Non-remittance of RETF share; 
 
(f) Non-compliance with the established guidelines that DOE will adopt for the 
implementation of this Act.” 
 
Section 16. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is held invalid 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 
 
Section 17.  Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with 
the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
 
Section 18. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,