Southeast Asian governments have maintained “energy self‐reliance” and “energy security” as essential rationales of their macroeconomic policy. Since the availability of energy remains necessary for unabated domestic growth and development, the pursuit for “alternative” sources of energy and the resolve to build sustainable energy systems are constant priorities. Informed by the literature on policy discourse, this article draws attention to the analytical use and significance of policy discourse as a means to examine sustainable energy policies in Southeast Asia, which dominantly adopted an economic lens for “energy supply security.” Policy documents were examined to show the congruence and variation of policy discourses that prompted the governments of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore to institutionalize sustainable energy development from 2000 to 2016—a critical period for the institutionalization of sustainable energy in the region, when domestic renewable energy sectors and systems were simultaneously being established by these governments.

One of the contentious phases in the formulation of a legislation is the period of interpellations. In this stage of the law-making process, proposed bills are scrutinized and revised by congressional actors, as each puts forward her/his respective ideas, interjections and/or expressions of support. As an institutional procedure, the period of interpellations is the stage where the dynamics of contention and compromise become evident through the interaction of the policy positions of lawmakers regarding the specific policy dimensions and issues which a certain bill raises.Policy positions require narratives that embody ideas, rationalizations and justifications of a dissenting or preferred stance towards issues. Needless to say, raising these during the committee and floor debates of a congressional body reflects how these positions are deemed important by policy actors. Suffice it to say that in the period of interpellations, multiple narratives interact in a discursive space where an ideas, concept and argument is either refuted and filtered out from a proposed bill, or is sustained enough to be authorized into a legislation. Interestingly, therefore, one may argue that any legislation represents a composite of narratives that have “survived” such a contentious condition. In this context, the proposed paper will discuss the rationalization of renewable energy in the Philippines, focusing on the policy positions and narratives which animated the formulation of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (R.A. 9513) at the level of the Philippine Senate. It is argued that the emergence of contending policy positions is brought about by a priori "conditions of contentiousness" vis-a-vis how decision-makers view issues within policy dimensions. Utilizing mixed method conversation analysis of the documented floor debates during the period of interpellation, the paper will identify and discuss the policy dimensions and the issues of contention among decision-makers. The paper will also map the relationship and dynamics of these policy positions based on the substance and manner by which they were framed, argued and rationalized. Finally, the results of the analysis will be used to gather insights that explain the dominant and prevailing discourse(s) which serve as the foundation of this piece of legislation.

The article discusses the concepts of kapwa and loob in the context of Philippine politics, particularly, in the relationship between the president and the citizens. The study examined the concepts of kapwa/pakikipagkapwa and how these have figured in the inaugural addresses and state of the nation speeches of the president from 1986 to 2013. As a contribution, the aforementioned concepts which are located within the scope of rhetorical politics are examined through the textual analysis of the speeches. There are different types and levels of relations between the president and the public as reflected in these speech acts. These types range from informing, to expressions of concern, and involvement. Pakikipagkapwa can be sensed in the speeches of the president together with some consistent patterns and tendencies in the interaction between the president and the public-at-large. These patterns are observable across time. On the other hand, it became difficult for the research to establish if indeed the kapwa/pakikipagkapwa of the president sufficiently indicated or reflected his loob/kalooban. Deficits in conceptual and theoretical standards of evaluation, methodology, and research designs that may be useful in investigating loob/kalooban remain to be resolved. This article concludes with an invitation to scholars to further discuss philosophical, methodological, and practical issues in order to widen the prospects of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research among Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Pilipinolohiya, and other Social Sciences.

Developing countries like the Philippines have embarked on efforts to ensure energy supply security through renewable energy (RE) development. Developing RE requires policy responses to a multitude of issues such as infrastructure financing, support for research and development (R&D), and administrative procedures, to name a few. The government plays a vital role in addressing these issues. Needless to say, it is imperative for the Philippine government to formulate rules and policies, as well as establish institutions that will govern and resolve the multi-dimensional issues related to the development of renewable energy in the Philippines. This study examines the response of the Philippine government to develop renewable energy in the Philippines by particularly looking at the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (Republic Act 9513). How does this law define the role of government in initiating and mobilizing efforts for renewable energy development? What issues have emerged afterwards? The study describes the features of the law. It also analyzes the raison d’ etre of the legislation by examining its purpose, functions, and what it intends to address. The law is analyzed in the context of the current Philippine energy situation; its institutional and procedural arrangements. The concluding section of the study focuses on specific issues such as research and development (R&D), and the bureaucratic processes that have emerged in light of the enactment of this legislation.

This study investigates the interaction and dynamics between regulatory agencies and businesses in the context of developing the Philippine renewable energy sector using the perspectives and experiences of selected industry managers. Primary data were gathered through in-depth interviews with seven industry managers – three project developers of hydroelectric and geothermal plants, a managing director of a supply firm for renewable energy sources, and three executive secretaries from various renewable energy developers. The study analyzes the institutional arrangements for renewable energy development, particularly the pertinent legislations that were enacted since the restructuring of the electric power industry in 2001. Furthermore, using the interview data, the author probes into the interaction and dynamics between regulators and businesses, as well as issues, obstructions and constraints that were identified by the interviewees in developing the Philippine renewable energy sector. The study concludes, focusing on the effects of transaction costs and political connections on the future of the renewable energy sector in the Philippines.