Indigenous energy source expansion pushed amid Middle East crisis

Top energy officials and key private sector leaders have called for a more aggressive buildout of indigenous energy sources to reduce reliance on imported fuel and effectively shield the country from global price volatility amid the Middle East petroleum crisis.

“Beyond these challenges lies a critical opportunity to move decisively from crisis response and define a new era of Philippine energy that is secure, sustainable, resilient and people-centered,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said in a keynote address delivered by Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines’ (EJAP) third energy forum on May 26, 2026.

Garin emphasized that moving beyond the crisis requires maximizing domestic energy resources, particularly renewables.

In a video message, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) chairperson and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan called for urgent focus on energy storage to strengthen grid stability and ensure reliable supply during peak demand.

“If we had the storage to capture even a portion of that midday surplus and dispatch it during the evening peak, none of that energy would be wasted, and the cushion that failed us the other week would be materially thicker,” Juan said.

During the panel discussion, ERC Director for Market Operations Service Sharon Montañer emphasized the importance of aligning energy security with the development of a more flexible and resilient power system.

Fuentebella, who leads the DOE’s energy efficiency efforts, said energy resiliency is key to navigating the ongoing global oil crisis.

From the private sector, MGEN Renewables president and CEO Dennis Jordan, Prime CoreGen president and CEO Jose Victor Emmanuel de Dios and Aboitiz Power Corp. vice president for Corporate Affairs Ronald Francis Suarez called for greater diversification of the country’s energy sources.

For power projects to move forward, however, DivinaLaw Senior Partner and former Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug Jr. said the permitting process must first be streamlined.

“We just need to put in more (power) supply so that we won’t have to face all the problems every summer. And that supply can be done if we facilitate more of the permits,” Layug said.

The third EJAP energy forum was held at the Frabelle Corporate Plaza in Makati City, carrying the theme, “Beyond the Crisis: Defining a New Era of Philippine Energy.”

The event was made possible through the support of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc., Aboitiz Power Corp., Meralco PowerGen Corp. and DivinaLaw Offices as gold sponsors well as Petron Corp. as silver sponsor; and PetroEnergy Resources Corp., PetroGreen Energy Corp., Manila Electric Co., Citicore Renewable Energy Corp., BDO Unibank Inc., Semirara Mining and Power Corp., First Gen Corp., Vena Energy and the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines as bronze sponsors. —LDF, GMA News