PBBM signs law creating nuclear regulatory body

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed Republic Act (RA) No. 12305 or the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act establishing a national framework for the peaceful and secure use of nuclear energy in the country.

- By ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS

The new law, signed on Sept. 18, creates the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), an independent and quasi-judicial body tasked to oversee all nuclear and radiation activities nationwide.

The measure underscores the government’s policy to “harness the peaceful, safe, and secure use of atomic energy to provide benefits to the Philippines in the fields of energy production, health and medicine, scientific research, agriculture, industry, education, and others.”

At the same time, it strictly bans military or non-civilian applications, stating that nuclear energy shall only be used for peaceful purposes, and that all facilities and activities related to the acquisition or development of nuclear explosives, radiological dispersal devices, and other non-peaceful uses are strictly prohibited.

Under the law, PhilATOM will have “sole and exclusive jurisdiction to exercise regulatory control...for the peaceful, safe, and secure uses of nuclear energy and radiation sources in the Philippines.”