Quarterly Performance Report Fiscal Year 4, Quarters 2 & 3

EPDP supports the national government, particularly the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), in policy formulation and analysis for the energy sector. The program is being implemented by the UPecon Foundation and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). EPDP's approach to attaining its objective involves four key initiatives: providing the technical foundation for policy development, capacity building, and communication interventions through an energy research program; providing policy development and advisory to NEDA and DOE; supporting capacity building activities for NEDA and DOE and their attached agencies, other partners in the national government, and the private sector; and supporting communication activities to share energy-related research and initiatives with stakeholders in the energy sector. In Fiscal Year 4, Quarter 2, EPDP completed most of its research papers and policy briefs. The program provided technical assistance based on these studies on the implementation of DOE Circular No. DC2017-11-0012 (Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Regulation) and Senate Bills 1490 (An Act Enhancing the Governance Structure of the Energy Regulatory Commission) and 1574 (Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute). EPDP participated and provided input during workshops and meetings relevant to the implementation of Natural Gas (NatGas) regulation and on the refinement of the Senate Bills. EPDP also continued to work with the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE) in conducting a curriculum review, specific technical training for faculty members and students, and supporting energy-related theses among graduate students. The private sector Lecture Series, which was initiated in FY3, generated a lot of interest among energy stakeholders. The Lecture Series concluded this quarter with two lectures by the presidents of AC Energy and Solar Philippines, attended by 160 stakeholders from the academe, the private sector, and government agencies. The Program Steering Committee (PSC) was notified of the EPDP FY4 work plan in writing instead of convening a separate PSC Meeting for FY4. Most activities for FY4 are completion of existing activities, with only a few new initiatives. EPDP's funding will run up to July 2018 only, three months earlier than the supposed end-of-project in October 2018. EPDP continues to fulfill its role given the limited resources and is exploring other funding opportunities to continue performing its function. In preparation for program closeout, EPDP submitted a plan to the USAID that outlines the administrative and technical process of wrapping up program implementation from May to July. EPDP also works with the Senate Committee on Energy in establishing the Philippine Energy Research and Policy Institute (PERPI), which will amplify research and policy advisory through a permanent government institution, as envisioned in Senate Bill 1574. Once approved, this will solidify the gains of EPDP by ensuring that its mandates and objectives will be continually pursued beyond July 2018. EPDP's performance in Fiscal Year 4, Quarter 2, and part of Q3 (1 – 30 April 2018) is detailed in this report. The report covers key activities, program component and cross-cutting activities and achievements, and program management activities and finances. The Annexes provide the supporting documents for this report, including the updated Performance Indicator Tracking Table (PITT) as Annex 1. The EPDP Training on Programming Languages series was conducted in January and February 2018, with a total of eight sessions held at the UP School of Economics. The training covered MATLAB and Python programming languages. EPDP also participated in various workshops and meetings, including the 1st DOE Natural Gas (NatGas) Workshop for Downstream Natural Gas Review and Evaluation Committee (DNG-REC), the 2018 Manila Forum on Competition in Developing Countries, and the 2nd Public Hearing on Senate Bill 1490: ERC Governance Structure. EPDP's activities in Q2 and part of Q3 are listed in Table 1. The table chronologically lists the activities of EPDP in Q2 and some from Q3. The activities include participation in workshops and meetings, training sessions, and lectures. The table provides a comprehensive overview of EPDP's activities during this period.