After undergoing three committee hearings, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla has been confirmed by the Commission on Appointments (CA).
The CA on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Lotilla, who had previously served as Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary from 2005 to 2007.
Deliberations on the ad interim appointment of Lotilla have been suspended twice, before finally getting the CA’s nod on his third committee hearing.
Lotilla’s capacity to serve “fairly” as the DOE chief has been questioned due to his recent affiliations with power industry players.
He served as lead independent director of AboitizPower in 2021 and as an independent director of ACE Enexor in 2019. He resigned from both positions following his appointment.
Lotilla’s brother, meanwhile, is an independent director at Synergy Grid & Development Philippines Inc., which owns 60 percent of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, operator of the country’s electricity transmission network.
