THE NETHERLANDS and Bhutan are two countries that do not have oil deposits, and yet they are net exporters of energy. The Netherlands tap their natural gas deposits, and Bhutan has hydropower plants.
Although I could only cite two examples, that is already sufficient proof that a country could become a net exporter of energy, even if it does not have oil deposits.
But what about the Philippines? Could we possibly become a net exporter of energy?
I would say that in theory, we could become one, but on the condition that we decrease our oil imports and increase our own local power generation.
That might sound like a tall order, but we do have the assets that could make it happen. There are many countries that are now net exporters of energy, simply because they have oil deposits.
By comparison, we do have oil deposits too, but the difference between these countries and the Philippines, is that they have tapped their deposits, and we have not. At least, not enough of it.
Aside from oil deposits, we have rivers and waterfalls that could produce hydropower, and we also have natural gas deposits!
And on top of all these, we also have geothermal energy sources!
In others, we could really become an energy independent country!
RIVER REHABILITATION
Whenever there are proposals to rehabilitate rivers, it seems that the first thing that comes to the mind of the planners is to widen the river.
That is not always the best idea because of zoning regulations, and because the lands beyond the river easements could already be privately owned, and there may be no funds available for expropriation.
I therefore think that the more practical idea is to deepen the river, meaning to remove the silt and whatever other deposits that might have sunk into its bottoms.
After hundreds of years without any desilting done, it’s probably the right time for a proper river cleanup. I am saying that, because the usual idea for a river cleanup is to clean the river surface, which is a rather limited and simplistic view.
Even without artificial river widening, some rivers could become wider because of erosion, which could be a problem for private landowners beyond the river easements.
I think that local government units (LGUs) have the duty to help these private owners so that their lands are not eroded needlessly. One sure way to prevent river erosion is to plant freshwater mangroves around the riverbanks.
That way, the roots could stabilize the soil, and it would even bring back the fish into the waters, probably even the crabs. Mangroves are ideal to plant because they can adapt to high salinity just in case the water is still brackish./PN
