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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
April 15, 2026 | 5:41pm
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, April 15, urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to activate a fuel-sharing mechanism amid the ongoing fuel crisis caused by Middle East tensions.
Joined by Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and other ASEAN leaders at the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Plus Online Summit, Marcos called for enhanced cooperation as the Philippines suffers the effects of the fuel crisis.
The Philippine president said that the bloc should activate the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Petroleum Security (APSA), which outlines several coordinated emergency response measures during a crisis.
One of them is a voluntary fuel-sharing measure that states: “All ASEAN Member States shall endeavour to supply petroleum to the ASEAN Member State in Distress at the aggregate amount equal to 10% of the Normal Domestic Requirement of the ASEAN Member State in Distress.”
The Philippines is now calling for an early activation of this measure.
“The mechanism exists and it should be tested now, while the crisis is live and the lessons are immediate. The Philippines is willing to host or co-chair the first full APSA emergency simulation exercise,” Marcos told regional leaders.
“This mechanism, once tested and activated regularly, could serve as a meaningful buffer for smaller economies during exactly the kind of disruption that we are experiencing today,” he added.
Marcos also welcomed Takaichi’s proposal to launch a program to strengthen the regional supply chain, especially with Japan being a model for strategic energy management.
The Philippines will support a regional study on joint oil stockpiling, as well as the creation of mutually recognizable mechanisms of emergency fuel allocation protocols.
“The energy disruptions of 2026 are testing Asia’s resilience. However, I believe they also are creating an opportunity for us to build the regional energy security architecture that our region has long needed,” Marcos said.
The Philippines imports nearly all of its fuel products, making it extremely vulnerable to global supply disruptions when tensions erupt in the Middle East. Fuel prices have soared, raising the country’s inflation rates.
