Negros Occidental government and business leaders called President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s declaration of a state of national energy emergency on Tuesday, March 24, a “timely and much-needed” intervention to prevent fuel supply disruptions and stabilize the economy.
Marcos, in Executive Order 110, cited the escalating tensions in the Middle East as a key factor threatening global oil production and transportation, which could affect the Philippines as a net importer of petroleum products.
House Deputy Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the president’s declaration of a state of national emergency and authorizing the unified package for livelihoods, industry, food, and transport is a timely and much-needed response to this new crisis the whole nation is facing.
“I have always advocated for a whole-of-government approach to solving our most serious issues, and this declaration allows for just that,” Benitez said.
“If there is anything we should have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that government must be swift, decisive, and flexible in its response mechanisms,” he added.
BAYANIHAN ACT
To support the Executive, Benitez said is filing Bayanihan for Economic Resilience and National Stability Act of 2026 bill.
This bill seeks to empower the Executive to respond efficiently to the evolving crisis while ensuring transparency, accountability, and targeted relief by providing emergency powers, fiscal flexibility, and strategic interventions to stabilize prices, protect vulnerable sectors, and ensure national resilience, he said.
Benitez appealed to his colleagues to start deliberating on this proposal as soon as possible.
“Now more than ever, we need to act as the House of the People and craft a viable strategy that will allow us to overcome this crisis and ensure the welfare of the Filipino people,” Benitez said.
ABOUT TIME
Rep. Alfredo Marañon III said, “It’s about time that government uses its emergency powers to address rising oil prices, secure adequate supply of oil and roll out the unified package to cushion the impact on key sectors.”
Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Juliana Carbon, said the declaration of national energy emergency is timely considering that the energy supply is about to reach critical levels if no remedial measures are undertaken.
“The stability of energy supply is extremely necessary to prevent interruption in essential services. The transport sector is the most affected,” she said.
Those in the air, sea, and land transport industries have calculated the impact of the present circumstances that will have a domino effect on all industries, she said.
“We are facing crucial times in business but history tells us that our country has resilience to face any crisis. The business sector should continually help the government by implementing energy conservation measures,” Carbon said.
THANK YOU
Manuel Lamata, United Sugar Producers Federation president, said UNIFED would like to thank the president for declaring energy as a national emergency.
He said it is bad enough that they have to buy diesel for their operations at very high prices, but the situation will worsen if supply runs out.
“El Niño is coming and we won’t be able to irrigate our sugarcane. We will have no sugar to feed the country this coming crop year,” Lamata said.
UNIFIED PACKAGE
The president, in his executive order, said disruptions in critical supply routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, may constrain global fuel supply and trigger price volatility, posing risks to the country’s energy security.
Marcos said the declaration of a state of national energy emergency is needed to enable the government, through the Department of Energy and other concerned agencies, to implement coordinated measures to ensure stable and adequate energy supply while mitigating the impact on the economy.
EO 110 also orders the adoption of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) to safeguard national interest.
It aims to ensure the availability of domestic energy supply, uninterrupted delivery of essential services, continuity of economic activity, and protection of vulnerable sectors. *With a report from PNA
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