President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of national energy emergency Tuesday, signing Executive Order 110 in response to escalating conflict in the Middle East that his administration warned poses an imminent threat to the Philippines’ fuel supply.
The declaration, the first of its kind under Republic Act 7638, gives Marcos broad authority to implement fuel and energy allocation measures and directs government agencies to take coordinated action to stabilize domestic supply. It remains in force for one year unless extended or lifted by the President.
“A state of national energy emergency is hereby declared in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the resulting imminent danger posed upon the availability and stability of the country’s energy supply,” EO 110 reads.
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The order directly cites the US-Israel war on Iran as the primary trigger. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which over 20 million barrels of oil and gas passed daily — has disrupted global fuel supply chains and driven sharp upward pressure on international oil prices. As a net importer of petroleum products, the Philippines has no domestic buffer against such disruptions.
EO 110 activates the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport, known as UPLIFT, as the government’s whole-of-government response framework. Marcos chairs the UPLIFT Committee, with the secretaries of Energy, Transportation, Social Welfare, Agriculture, Finance, and Budget as members. The committee is tasked with monitoring fuel and food supply chains, ensuring public transport continuity, and taking action against hoarding, profiteering, and supply manipulation.
The Philippine National Oil Company and its exploration arm are authorized under the order to procure fuel and petroleum products and, when necessary, to make advance payments exceeding 15% of contract amounts to secure timely supply.
The declaration came one day after Palace Press Officer Claire Castro insisted the country was not yet experiencing an oil crisis but rather a “price disruption” — a characterization the emergency declaration effectively reversed.
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Economic managers warned that GDP growth could slow to between 3.5% and 4% in 2026 under a worst-case scenario of $200 per barrel sustained for six months.
Senators are also weighing the suspension of the 12% value-added tax on petroleum products as additional relief for consumers. The government has already suspended fuel excise taxes and distributes 5,000-peso subsidies to motorcycle taxi drivers and other transport workers nationwide. The government has also extended free bus rides to students and workers in selected cities.
About 2.4 million Filipinos live and work in the Middle East, including approximately 31,000 in Israel and 800 in Iran. A Filipina caregiver, Mary Ann de Vera, died in Tel Aviv on February 28 when an Iranian missile struck while she was helping her elderly charge reach a bomb shelter. Marcos has placed the Department of Migrant Workers on alert for possible mass rescue and evacuation operations.
Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has already begun cutting international flight volumes to reduce fuel consumption, a move that stands to affect overseas travel demand across the region.
EO 110 also directs the UPLIFT Committee to accelerate the country’s longer-term shift toward renewable energy, including the deployment of electric vehicles in mass transport and the integration of renewable energy in agriculture, logistics, and manufacturing.
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