President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued a high-level call for regional solidarity during the Asian Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Plus online summit, urging Asian nations to forge a “coordinated and unified response” to the prevailing global energy emergency.
Addressing the summit convened by Japan, President Marcos emphasized that the scale of current supply chain disruptions has exposed a fundamental structural reality: no single nation can withstand these shocks in isolation.
“What this crisis has confirmed is a structural truth: no single country in Asia can insulate itself from supply chain shocks of this scale by acting alone,” President Marcos stated. “The times call for a coordinated, unified response. Even as we manage the immediate crisis, the Philippines is moving decisively to strengthen our long-term supply resilience.”
As an archipelagic nation of 115 million people heavily reliant on imported petroleum, the Philippines is proactively implementing a multi-pronged strategy to safeguard its energy security. The President outlined several key domestic initiatives currently underway:
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Diversification of Sourcing: Implementing a risk-calibrated procurement strategy to expand oil sourcing beyond traditional Middle Eastern routes.
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Enhanced Stockholding: Proposing a significant increase in obligatory inventory, raising stockholding for petroleum products from 15 to 30 days, and for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from 7 to 21 days.
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Strategic Reserves: Accelerating the development of a domestic Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
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Green Transition: Advancing transport electrification, intensifying energy-efficiency programs, and expanding biofuel blending targets to reduce overall petroleum dependency.
The President underscored that waiting for future stability is not an option for the region. He emphasized that the Philippines is committed to reforming its Minimum Inventory Requirements and energy infrastructure to ensure the economy remains shielded from volatile global markets.
“We cannot wait for the next crisis to act,” President Marcos concluded. “We must build resilience now, as the urgency of this moment is clear.”
