President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines declared a national energy emergency on Tuesday, saying that high oil prices caused by the war in the Middle East were threatening the country’s energy security.
The Philippines imports 90 percent of its oil from the Middle East, making it one of the Asian countries most vulnerable to supply disruptions there. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed by Iran, the Philippines has had to turn to Russia and China, and to other Southeast Asian countries, for fuel.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Philippines’ Department of Energy said it had enough gasoline in reserve to last 53 days, enough diesel for 46 days and enough jet fuel for about 39 days. Diesel prices have doubled since the war began, surpassing 120 pesos, or $2, per liter.
Many government offices have switched to a four-day workweek to save energy, and Mr. Marcos has called on the public to car pool. The government has also been handing out 5,000 pesos each to tens of thousands of autorickshaw and jeepney drivers around Manila who are suffering from the higher prices.
Mr. Marcos is under intense pressure to deal with the situation. A coalition of transportation workers has called for mass protests around Manila, the capital, on Thursday and Friday about the price spike and what they consider inadequate measures by the government. On Tuesday, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a major newspaper, published a column with the headline, “Nation on brink: This oil crisis may destroy everything we built.”
Since the war began, Mr. Marcos has expressed concern about its economic ramifications for the Philippines. “We are victims of a war that is not of our choosing,” he said earlier this month in a statement. Economists have warned that the fallout could be severe, noting the potential loss of remittances from thousands of Filipinos working in the Middle East.
Many of them have lost their jobs because their workplaces in countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have shut down. The Philippine economy is heavily dependent on remittances from overseas workers, and in 2024, the Middle East accounted for roughly 18 percent of the total, according to the Philippines’ central bank.
As part of the emergency declaration on Tuesday, Mr. Marcos signed an executive order that would allow the government to “implement responsive and coordinated measures under existing laws to address the risks posed by disruptions in the global energy supply and the domestic economy.” His government has not said what specific actions it might take under the order.
The pain in the Philippines has been mirrored across other parts of Southeast Asia, which is heavily dependent on oil that moves through the Strait of Hormuz. Like the Philippines, many countries in the region have precariously low oil reserves and have imposed energy conservation measures.
Jason Gutierrez contributed reporting.
Sui-Lee Wee is the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times, overseeing coverage of 11 countries in the region.
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