Oxfam Pilipinas-JET Oxfam defines a Just Energy Transition (JET) based on four tenets of energy justice that address the following: (1) distributional - injustices on equitable access to energy services; (2) recognition - ignored and neglected processes to recognize the critical roles of stakeholders in the transition process; (3) procedural - fair process in the transition, acknowledging social and spatial issues; and (4) restorative - negative impacts on people and how they can be fairly compensated..
As a JET approach, Energy Democracy isa key principle, strategy, and process that can ensure decentralization and localization of control and ownership of energy systems, strengthen social accountability thus better distributing the development gains of energy.
In reality, the world’s dependence on fossil fuels has come at a huge cost. The industrial growth that has fuelled massive human consumption has led to environmental depletion and catastrophic shifts in climate patterns – destructive typhoons, torrential rains, heat waves and droughts – that are destroying millions of lives. Poverty levels continues to rise in the Philippines, exacerbated by the global economic recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, democratic turmoil, and many other intersecting issues.
The PhilippineClimate Policy on Energy
The Philippines has always been dubbed a policy-rich country with advanced policies and programs for climate and energy, all intended to accelerate government uptake and private sector investments on Renewable Energy (RE).  At the national level, the country’s Renewable Energy Act of 2008 sets the overarching framework for accelerating the development of RE resources.  The National Renewal Energy Program (NREP) for 2020–2040 outlines the country’s programs and targets towards energy security and access to energy.
The Philippine government has also communicated its latest intended Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2021 which provides an overview of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction and avoidance commitment of75% for 2020-2030. This covers the sectors of agriculture, wastes, industry, transport, and energy. It is important to note, however, that this commitment is 72.29% conditional meaning it requires international or foreign-assisted support to implement mitigation policies and measure. Unconditional, on the other hand, represents the commitment of national or domestic resources to be mobilized.
While the commitment and priority sectors are there, specific roadmap and sectoral emission targets are not properly communicated in the NDC. There is a need for a plan by the Philippine government to identifyspecific measures and targets to achieve its commitments to climate mitigation.
At the local level, local governments are given greater autonomy to supportand invest in RE and JET initiatives.  The Microgrid Systems Act of 2022 mandates local governments to progress electrification in unserved and underserved areas.  Similarly, a departmental Joint Memorandum Circular in 2020 requires local governments to activate Energy Sector Committees under their respective Local Development Councils.  In 2018, a landmark Supreme Court ruling, known as the Mandanas-Garcia Ruling[1]  allocated a larger portion of national funding to local governments, providing them with more resources for services delivery, including energy-related planning and investments.
Philippines’ Energy Mix
Despite having the policy environment and despite abundant natural RE resources, the uptake towards RE sources (i.e., solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass) has been slow.   The country is heavily dependent on coal for electricity supply. As of 2020, coal comprises 47 percent of the country’s energy mix, followed by natural gas (22 percent), renewable energy (24 percent) and oil-based resources(6.2 percent).
At 24 per cent, the overall contribution of RE to the country’s energy mix is still behind the Philippines target of 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.  Coal generation is expected to continue growing and is on track to reach levels thrice that of 2017 by 2040, potentially increasing levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Fuelled by a plethora of fossil fuel-reliant industries and a growing anxiety about future energy access, coal’s share in the energy mix is therefore projected to increase, reaching 50 percent by 2030.
The slow progress towards RE sources and the domination of fossil fuels are at the heart of the Philippines’ climate and energy crisis. Lack of public awareness, and with it, low constituency demand for JETcoupled with lack of investments and resourceto grow RE sources are compounding and recurring challenges for the Philippines energy sector.
Along with its regional neighbours, the country needs to respond to the global call for transitioning towards clean,efficient, and renewable energy (RE). This transition is urgent.  But more importantly, it needs to be done in such a way that explicitly incorporates justice principles including inclusivity, fairness, and collective benefit – especially for poor womenandvulnerable communities who are hardest hit by climate changeimpacts. This is the principle behind Oxfam Pilipinas’ Just Energy Transition (JET) campaign.
Pursuing Energy Justice and Energy Democracy
This project hopes to integrate the principles of energy justice and energy democracy in the local planning process, throughregulatory support on the development of a framework for decentralized power systems, demonstrating and emphasizing the participatory approach towards JET, and facilitating a democratized energy system at the local level.
In Southeast Asia, civil society and movements are actively campaigning for economic justice and climate justice. Yet, discussions on energy transition and decarbonization space have largely been the purviewof climate and environmental NGOs. A just recovery call by key stakeholders for JET and energy democracy work has outlined key principles that must be followed to ensure a better normal post-pandemic and go beyond the climate and energy discourse to cover JET’s intersections with key issues like gender justice, peacebuilding, and economic recovery. There is a need to further elaborate on the process and include these in long-term decarbonization pathways – that more consolidated and collaborative effortsmustbeemployed to ensure holistic perspectives on just energy transition.
The shrinking civic space in the Philippines is also affecting the engagement of CSOs in the JET discourse. Engaging a wider constituency of civil society actors and movements–expanding beyond the climate and environmental groups, and onboarding more gender rights organizations, labour unions, youth organizations, and IP groups – works to broaden the movement of the just energy transition by ensuring the voices of the women and energy-poorcommunities are an integral part of the just and inclusive energy transformation to sustainable renewable energy systems.
To respond to this context, Oxfam Pilipinas with CSO partners will continue to amplify the campaign on renewable energy and just energy transition nexus to strengthen the climate action call, expand awareness and collaboration on RE, and support various stakeholders and key government agencies on energy democratization by mainstreaming the JET agenda from the local to nationalandsub-regional levels.
At the country level, Oxfam Pilipinas will support Philippine civil society actors and key stakeholders’ campaign for stronger government commitment to policy and regulatory changes for accessible, affordable, and sustainable renewable energy systems in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Banking on its gains from previous and current JET initiatives, I-JET PH will focus on national and sub-national policy influencing with government and private sector institutions; strengthening publicawareness campaigns with civil society, gender rights, youth, indigenous, and media organizations; organizing and constituency building with the youth sector for expanded calls on JET; and supporting more community SRE projects and conservation enterprisesthat will empower women and