Philippine Energy Policy Wiki

EO 186 (s. 2015) — Transfer of Geothermal Watershed Jurisdiction from PNOC to DENR

Status
superseded
Confidence
high
Effective date
2015-07-08

Full title: Transferring the Jurisdiction, Control, Administration and Management of the Watershed Areas of Geothermal Reservations Vested in the Philippine National Oil Company Pursuant to Executive Order No. 223 (s. 1987) and Proclamation No. 853 (s. 1992)

Signed: July 8, 2015 | President: Benigno S. Aquino III

Status: SUPERSEDED. EO 206 (s. 2016), signed May 20, 2016, explicitly repeals this EO and reinstates the prior arrangement.

Context

EO 223 (s. 1987) vested PNOC with jurisdiction over watershed areas surrounding geothermal reservations: Tongonan (Leyte), Palinpinon (Negros Oriental), and Bacon-Manito (Sorsogon), plus future geothermal reservations. Proclamation 853 (s. 1992) added the Mt. Apo Geothermal Reservation (South Cotabato/Davao) under PNOC administration.

The rationale for transfer was that PNOC had already privatized its geothermal arm — the PNOC Energy Development Corporation — leaving PNOC with no established watershed management body. Meanwhile, DENR (established under EO 192/1987) was designated as the primary agency for conservation and management of the country’s natural resources, including watersheds [EO 186, s. 2015, WHEREAS ¶3–4, 2015-07-08].

Key Provisions

§1 — Transfer: Jurisdiction, control, administration, and management of watershed areas of four geothermal reservations transferred to DENR:

  1. Tongonan Geothermal Reservation
  2. Palinpinon Geothermal Reservation
  3. Bacon-Manito Geothermal Reservation
  4. Mount Apo Geothermal Reservation [EO 186, s. 2015, §1, 2015-07-08]

Policy Notes

  • This EO was in force for only 10 months — EO 206 (May 20, 2016) reversed it in the final weeks of the Aquino III term
  • The reversal in EO 206 is driven by the Paris Agreement and the DOE’s framing of geothermal watershed management as an RE resource management issue requiring DOE coordination — not purely a DENR conservation matter
  • See Geothermal Watershed Policy — Jurisdictional History for the full policy trajectory including the EO 186 → EO 206 reversal

Full text: Cleaned copy