THE Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking a P5.58-billion budget for 2027, up nearly 26 percent from this year, to fund energy resource surveys, mobile power systems, and digitalization projects.
DOE Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo Bacordo told the House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday that the proposed budget is P1.14 billion higher than this year’s P4.43 billion allocation.
Of the proposed amount, 36.4 percent will come from new appropriations and 63.6 percent from automatic appropriations under the Special Account in the General Fund (SAGF).
“The department’s budgetary requirements will be heavily supported through the SAGF,” Bacordo said.
Among the major programs are the Philippine Gradiometry and Seismic Survey project, P1.36 billion; additional Mobile Energy Systems, P600 million; and the DOE’s Information Systems Strategic Plan and other digital initiatives, P950 million.
Bacordo said the gradiometry and seismic survey project aims to improve energy resource mapping, reduce exploration risks and attract more upstream investments by generating higher-quality geophysical data across priority petroleum basins.
The survey will cover about 120,000 square kilometers and could support as many as 120 exploration service contracts.
Bacordo said 12 recently awarded exploration contracts, representing 10 percent of the potential blocks, could already account for an estimated P16.8 billion in private-sector investments, excluding funding that could result from actual discoveries.
The DOE said it needs P600 million to procure at least 60 additional Mobile Energy System units for areas requiring emergency or interim electricity supply.
The mobile units are intended to provide electricity during disaster response and support electrification in areas without adequate power access.
This year, the DOE allocated about P521 million for the mobile energy program, consisting of P500 million in current appropriations and P21 million in continuing appropriations.
Meanwhile, about P950 million is proposed for the DOE’s information systems and other information and communications technology requirements. Of this amount, around P491 million will be used to automate the department’s systems, with the balance funding other ICT requirements.
Bacordo said the automation project will consolidate fragmented and stand-alone systems into a unified, AI-enabled platform aimed at improving efficiency, transparency, accountability and regulatory compliance.
He added that greater automation would also reduce opportunities for discretion, manipulation and corruption.
