PH first to declare energy emergency? Palace cites Marcos admin's swift response

The Philippines' declaration of a state of national energy emergency—the first of its kind in the world amid the ongoing Middle East crisis—showed the Marcos government's swift action to address challenges confronting the country during these times, Malacañang said Friday.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro on Friday was asked for comment regarding the Philippines' action on the emergency declaration.

She replied: "So, kung tayo po ang kauna-unahang nag-declare ng state of energy emergency, iyan lamang po ay nagpapatunay na ang pamahalaang ito ay hindi nagbabagal sa kanilang pagkilos. Ibig sabihin po, itong energy emergency na inihayag ng Pangulo ay para po maibsan, para po mapigil na magkaroon ng krisis dito sa ating bansa."

(If we're the first one to declare a state of energy emergency, then that only shows that the government is swift in its actions. This will ease the burden and prevent crises from happening in the country.) 

Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency on March 24 amid the continuous increase in the prices of oil products.

The administration has about 45 days of fuel supply as of March 20, and is procuring an additional 1 million barrels of oil for buffer stock.

READ -- EXPLAINER: How long will PH oil supply last amid Middle East tensions?

The President signed Executive Order 110 as diesel prices were expected to spike to more than P130 per liter, while gasoline may rise above P100 per liter this week.

The EO directed and authorized the Department of Energy "to take appropriate measures to safeguard the stability and adequacy of the country's energy supply and mitigate the adverse effects of disruptions in global energy supply markets." — VDV, GMA Integrated News