Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda recently filed a bill in Congress creating the Philippine Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent nuclear regulatory body focused on the control of peaceful uses and application of nuclear energy.
House Bill 4369, titled “Comprehensive Nuclear Regulation Act of 2016,” is considered a vital piece of legislation as the country embarks on a renewed effort to strengthen science and technology and boost industrial growth.
Salceda said PNRC would be attached to the Department of Science and Technology , and would work to harmonize with similar regulatory structures in other countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, such as China, South Korea, Japan, Australia and Singapore.
Salceda said the PNRC would “ensure consistency with the nation’s obligations under relevant international instruments.” It will also modernize the country’s nuclear civil liability and compensation regime in line with internationally accepted standards.
Salceda’s bill aims to harness the peaceful uses of nuclear energy that will benefit various fields, including health and medicine, energy production, scientific research, agriculture, industry, and education.
It also seeks to recognize, mitigate and protect individuals, society and the environment from the potentially harmful effects of ionizing radiation, including those that could result from improper use, accidents or malicious acts.
The proposed PNRC will develop an “independent regulatory framework that will decide on and resolve issues affecting public health and safety, protection of the environment, and nuclear security and safeguards, beyond the reach of entities with self-motivated interests,” said Salceda.
He said the resolution of these issues within an autonomous regulatory structure would generate in the public a higher level of trust and confidence in the application of nuclear technologies.
He added a positive public mindset was “imperative for the continued and improved utilization of nuclear energy and radioactive materials in the country.”