State auditors found that the Department of Energy collected only some P217 million out of the P1.2 billion owed by energy exploration and development companies as of 2022.“The non-collection of the above-mentioned balances deprived the DOE of using the funds for their intended purposes,” they stated in the report.The Commission on Audit reported that the total billings for Training Commitment during the year reached P972.39 million, but the actual collection was only P198.78 million.
The DOE collects TC and DA funds from service contracts related to the exploration, development, and production of conventional energy sources such as petroleum and coal, as well as renewable energy sources including biomass, geothermal, hydropower, ocean/tidal, wind, and solar. The Development Assistance, meanwhile, serves as a financial obligation aimed at bolstering the DOE’s technical resources, thereby facilitating the administration and monitoring of related projects. The assistance can be provided either in cash or in-kind.