Marcos: Energy emergency not a general state of emergency

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. clarified that Executive Order No. 110 is intended to address energy supply and price concerns, not to declare a general state of emergency.

In an address to the nation at Malacañang Palace, the President said the declaration is specific to the energy sector and aimed at stabilizing supply and prices.

“Dahil ang pinagmulan ng problema ay ang suplay at ang presyo ng enerhiya, at ‘yun ang kailangan naming tugunan nang diretso, nang direkta agad,” Marcos said.

“That is why we declared not a general state of emergency but a state of energy emergency. I would like to stress that point, that it is the energy sector that we need to declare as an emergency sector because of the war in the Middle East,” he added.

The President assured the public there is no need to panic, saying the government is taking steps to assess and address the situation.

He described the declaration as a precautionary measure to ensure the government is prepared for any eventuality and can use all available options.

Marcos said the energy emergency allows the government to act more quickly, particularly in procuring petroleum products without going through lengthy procedures, while providing a unified direction for government agencies.

He signed Executive Order No. 110 on Tuesday, declaring a state of national energy emergency amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The order authorizes the government to respond to critically low energy supply or imminent shortages and to implement fuel allocation and conservation measures.

It also adopts the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) as the government’s coordinated response framework.