December 29, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to create the country’s independent nuclear regulator is gaining traction in the Senate, after it was passed in the House of Representatives last year.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has sponsored the proposed Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act that seeks to create the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), an independent regulatory and quasi-judicial body tasked with nuclear safety and security.
“Across the globe, nuclear energy has been used for peaceful and beneficial applications contributing to sectors such as medicine, agriculture, industry, and energy production,” Cayetano said on Dec. 17, when he sponsored the measure on the floor for second reading.
“The Nuclear Energy Safety Act plays a vital role in treating diseases, food security, improving crop yield, mitigating the effects of climate change, and generating clean, reliable power or electricity,” he added.
The bill seeks to transfer the regulatory mandate to PhilATOM from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI).
The new nuclear body will have regulatory control over all sources of ionizing radiation from nuclear and radioactive materials as well as radiation devices, according to PNRI.
“The bill revamps the current nuclear legislative framework of the country, bringing it up to speed with international safety standards, particularly those of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The bill also has fresh provisions on nuclear safety, security, safeguards, radiation protection, and emergency preparedness and response – reflecting the country’s commitment in fulfilling its long-standing obligations,” PNRI said.
PhilATOM has the mandate to set the requirements for the selection of candidate sites for nuclear power plants; inspect nuclear facilities; craft the national emergency plan in case of a nuclear accident; and oversee the transport, storage, and disposal of radioactive materials, according to the bill.
It will also coordinate with the PNRI and Department of Environment and Natural Resources in selecting a 200-hectare disposal site for “low and intermediate level radioactive waste.”
Cayetano stressed the need to keep up with the advancements in nuclear technology.
“We are not able to harness atomic or nuclear energy. We don’t always see or know it, but it’s there, and we’re not able to fully utilize it,” Cayetano said.
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