HERE is a tip on humor writing for Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers: When you repeat a joke too often, it ceases to be funny. The joke in this case is Barbers' House Bill 11295, which has the short title "The Philippines Deuterium Research and Development Authority Act of 2025," and which he filed on Jan. 15.
In his explanatory note to HB 11295, Barbers highlights the need to explore and invest in clean sources of energy and notes that hydrogen is a promising alternative, as it produces no harmful emissions. However, he goes off the rails immediately by asserting that deuterium, which he at least describes correctly as a naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen, is "specifically" the alternative fuel that the Philippines should seek to develop and utilize.
