Senate tackles nuclear safety treaties

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has asked government agencies to complete documents needed for the Philippines’ possible ratification of key nuclear safety and liability conventions, as lawmakers reviewed safeguards tied to the government’s plan to include nuclear power in the country’s energy mix.

Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who presided over the hearing, asked the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Science and Technology to expedite pending submissions, including a matrix on the Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and the draft implementing rules and regulations of the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act.

Tulfo said the materials are needed by the committee as it prepares to defend the nuclear safety and liability instruments before the plenary.

The hearing covered four international agreements: the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian asked the Department of Energy to explain why the international conventions are needed before the country can proceed with its nuclear energy agenda.

“At meron tayong apat na international treaties and conventions na pinag-uusapan ngayon and we want this approved. Itong mga conventions and treaties, what is the significance of these to the implementation or to the rollout of our nuclear power agenda?” Gatchalian said.

DOE Energy Utilization Management Bureau Director Patrick T. Aquino said the conventions would help provide regulatory certainty, define liability, and show compliance with safety, safeguards, and security requirements under the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“As we’ve been interacting with our power sector and private sector players, this is a non-negotiable item for them because this assures them of the regulatory certainty and the absolute compliance with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Aquino said.

Aquino said the public would also benefit from a clearer compensation and liability framework in the event of a nuclear incident.

“Part of what’s being discussed here is the compensation for any incident,” Aquino said.

“The value of the Philippines joining is that we are part of a liability framework that clearly establishes the extent by which and if, knock on wood, an incident happens, the liability of the parties concerned.”

Gatchalian said the issue of nuclear safety must be explained clearly to the public, including what concrete protections would improve if the Philippines becomes bound by the conventions.

“This is a sign of confidence for the Philippines and a way to show that we are adhering to very strict standards in terms of safety, waste disposal, and other issues relating to nuclear power,” he said.

Gatchalian said ratification would align the Philippines with international nuclear safety norms and place the country “at par with other countries that are producing nuclear power.”

Aquino said ratifying the Convention on Nuclear Safety would reinforce the independence of the country’s nuclear regulator, the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, or PhilATOM.

He said the convention would also require strict multi-stage licensing from site selection to construction, operation, and decommissioning.

Aquino said the conventions would support continuous monitoring for radiation, public safety, and environmental protection.

The Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, or Republic Act No. 12305, was signed into law on Sept. 18, 2025, and provides a legal framework for nuclear safety, security, and safeguards.

The law created PhilATOM as an independent nuclear regulatory authority for nuclear and radiation-related activities in the country, according to the Presidential Communications Office.

The hearing also examined emergency preparedness for possible nuclear or radiological incidents.

Atty. Rafael Romualdo R. Ricalde, legal and legislative officer of the Office of Civil Defense under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the NDRRMC is adopting the National Disaster Response Plan for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards.

Ricalde said the NDRRMC is coordinating with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute on a radiological emergency preparedness and response plan.

Asked when training could begin, Ricalde said the agency hopes to complete plans this year and start implementation in 2027.

Tulfo questioned whether the timetable was realistic, saying nuclear emergency preparedness would require more than ordinary drills because responders would need equipment for radiation detection and containment.

“This is different from earthquake drills that we do. This is different, very different because we don’t need equipment there. We just need to cover and duck. But this is nuclear, so we will need equipment for this,” Tulfo said.

Tulfo also pressed agencies on what preparations had already been completed under existing disaster response frameworks.

“Ano ang mga pagsasanay at paghahanda na isinagawa ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council alinsunod sa planong ito? … Mayroon na ba tayong mga protokol o manwal kung ano ang gagawin?” Tulfo asked.

Ricalde said equipment needs, including radiation detection devices and containment equipment, still have to be discussed thoroughly.

Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco, chairperson of the House Special Committee on Nuclear Energy, also raised the need to include the Joint Protocol in the country’s ratification package, saying it would help provide broader nuclear liability coverage.

“I’m not here to defend the four applications for ratification. I’m here to question why the Joint Protocol, the fifth one, was not included,” Cojuangco said.

The discussions come as the Philippines continues to explore nuclear energy as part of its long-term power mix amid rising electricity demand and exposure to imported fuel volatility.

Executive Order No. 164, signed in 2022, adopted a national position for a nuclear energy program and directed the DOE to develop and implement the program as part of the Philippine Energy Plan.

The IAEA said in 2024 that the Philippines’ Nuclear Energy Roadmap aims to have commercially operational nuclear power plants by 2032, with at least 1,200 megawatts initially and a gradual increase to 4,800 megawatts by 2050.

The IAEA also said its 2024 follow-up infrastructure review found that the Philippines had fully addressed nine recommendations and 10 suggestions from its 2018 review, while five recommendations and three suggestions remained in progress.

The Senate’s review of the four conventions is expected to shape how the country builds legal, regulatory, safety, liability, and disaster readiness systems before any nuclear power project moves forward.