PhilATOM bill gains traction in Senate

A bill seeking to create the country's independent nuclear regulator is gaining traction in the Senate, after it was passed in the House of Representatives last year.

- By MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has sponsored the proposed Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act that seeks to create the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), an independent regulatory and quasi-judicial body tasked with nuclear safety and security.

"Across the globe, nuclear energy has been used for peaceful and beneficial applications contributing to sectors such as medicine, agriculture, industry, and energy production," Cayetano said on Dec. 17, when he sponsored the measure on the floor for second reading.