Marcos signs law creating new nuclear energy authority

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law creating an independent agency that will look into safe use of nuclear energy and radiation sources in the country. 

The newly signed Republic Act No. 12305, or the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act, provides for the establishment of the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), a quasi-judicial body that will oversee nuclear energy regulation. 

“Under the law, PhilATOM will be tasked with protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation, issuing licenses for nuclear-related activities, and ensuring compliance with international commitments such as those with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agency will also regulate the transport, storage, and disposal of radioactive materials,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement. 

The PhilATOM is also mandated to coordinate with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for nuclear emergency preparedness.

The newly-signed law prohibits the unauthorized siting, construction, operation, commissioning, and decommissioning of a nuclear or radiation facility; acquisition, production, manufacture, import, export, distribution, sale, transfer, use, storage, or disposal of nuclear or other radioactive materials; use of or testing of radiation generators; and radioactive waste management activities.

Among the penalties under the law are fines of up to P100 million and imprisonment. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News