Marcos declares nat’l energy emergency
President Marcos has declared a state of national energy emergency to address issues caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
This was announced through Executive Order No. 110 sent to reporters on Tuesday evening.
“A state of national energy emergency is hereby declared in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the resulting imminent danger posed upon the availability and stability of the country’s energy supply,” the order read.
The government adopts the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (Uplift) as a coordinated, whole-of-government response framework aimed at ensuring stable domestic energy supply, uninterrupted essential services, and continued economic activity and protecting the welfare of the citizens, especially in vulnerable sectors.
This framework includes energy supply management measures to be implemented by the Department of Energy and its attached agencies.
The Uplift Committee shall be composed of the President as chair, with the following Cabinet secretaries as members: the executive secretary, and the secretaries of energy, transportation, social welfare and development, agriculture, finance, economy, planning and development, and budget and management.
The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development shall serve as the secretariat of the committee and provide the essential technical and administrative support.
Among its functions are monitoring and ensuring the continued and orderly movement, supply, distribution, and availability of fuel, food, medicines, agricultural products, and other essential goods; checking the continuity of the operation of public transportation, public services, public utilities, health-care facilities, and other critical establishments and infrastructure; and safeguarding economic stability while protecting vulnerable sectors from adverse impacts and severe disruptions caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Earlier declaration
The committee is also mandated to ensure the timely, efficient, unhampered delivery of public services; formulate longer-term demand-side solutions and strategies to decrease consumption of petroleum products; constitute subcommittees as may be necessary, and invite other departments to support the effective implementation of EO 110.
State of nat’l calamity
Furthermore, the DOE was directed and authorized to take appropriate measures to protect the stability and adequacy of the country’s energy supply and cushion the adverse effects of disruptions in global energy supply markets.
Apart from the new declaration, the country is currently under a yearlong state of national calamity, following Mr. Marcos’ declaration in November last year on the heels of the devastation caused by Typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi).
Among the conditions specified by a pending measure granting the President the authority to reduce or suspend the fuel excise is the declaration of a national calamity or emergency and the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), or the daily average of fuel prices traded in the city-state, reaching or exceeding $80 per barrel for one month.
Also on Tuesday, the House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate the final version of the fuel excise measures, House Bill No. 8418 and Senate Bill No. 1982. —WITH A REPORT FROM GABRIEL PABICO LALU
******
Get real-time news updates: inqnews.net/inqviber
