JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO

 Mr. President, distinguished members of the Commission on Appointments:

Today, I have the honor to manifest my support for the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Sharon Serag Garin as Secretary of the Department of Energy.

Secretary Garin has taken on this role not just with her reputable name but with her competitive portfolio.  She is a Certified Public Accountant, Lawyer, and MBA graduate of the prestigious ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

Her academic excellence is matched by her professional competence and extensive experience in government. Secretary Garin has been in the government service for fifteen years where she held important positions.

She joined the House of Representatives as the Party-List Representative of Ang Asosasyon Sang Mangunguma Nga Bisaya-Owa Mangunguma, Inc. (AAMBIS-Owa) Party-List for four consecutive terms from fifteenth through the eighteenth Congress.  During her term, she actively participated in leadership roles as Deputy Speaker and Chairperson of the House Committee on Economic Affairs, to name a few.

Indeed, her exceptional background prepared her for her next roles in the Department, first as Undersecretary of the Department of Energy in 2022, and now as the steward of the Department as its Secretary.

Mr. President, to add a personal note, when I was a neophyte Senator, I supported the campaign to study the integration of nuclear energy into our country's power generation energy mix and the possible commissioning of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.  I am glad to know that Secretary Garin shares this vision with her strong background as Chairperson of the Nuclear Energy Program Interagency Committee when she was Undersecretary.

I look forward to this development of potentially harnessing nuclear power for our long-term energy security, along with the commitment to ensuring that any future nuclear development in the Philippines will be anchored on the principles of safety, transparency, and sustainability.

Mr. President, I therefore respectfully urge our colleagues to support the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Sharon S. Garin as Secretary of the Department of Energy.

Thank you.