After handing in his courtesy resignation as the secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), Raphael Lotilla was appointed on May 23 to lead the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), replacing Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga.
Leaders in the mining and energy sectors welcomed Lotilla’s reassignment, but environmental advocates aren’t as enthusiastic.
Meralco PowerGen Corp. President and CEO Manny Rubio said Lotilla’s new position presents a “unique opportunity” for clean and renewable energy to gain momentum in the country and to “bridge energy and environmental goals.”
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) is also hopeful that Lotilla will continue Yulo-Loyzaga’s programs aimed at easing restrictions on mining operations. “We are eager to partner with Secretary Lotilla in programs that would enhance the environmental, social, and governance performance of mining contractors, such as what our members are doing through COMP’s Towards Sustainable Mining program,” said COMP Chairman Michael Toledo.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace Philippines is wary of Lotilla’s track record in the environmental sector. “In the years that he served as [energy] secretary, we’ve seen aggressive moves to enable dangerous nuclear energy, promote fossil gas, and reverse the moratorium on coal-fired power plants,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Jasper Inventor in a statement. “We challenge Sec. Lotilla to leave behind these old interests, turn a new page under his new mandate, and work to reverse the pro-nuclear and pro-fossil fuel stance of the administration.”
Inventor added, “We also hope to see a DENR that is more open to collaboration and dialogue with communities, people’s organizations, and civil society.”
Before his appointment as energy secretary in 2022, Lotilla had already led the DOE from 2005 to 2007, during the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Before that, he served as the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) president and CEO. As the adviser of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), he led the privatization of the country’s power supply chain through the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.
Lotilla also served as the independent director of Aboitiz Power, but stepped down in 2022 to head the DOE. In July 2024, progressive groups filed a graft complaint against him for allegedly violating a coal moratorium after he endorsed the expansion of AboitizPower’s power plant in Toledo City, Cebu.
