Following the declaration of a national energy emergency through President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 110 and the subsequent Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) framework, 350 Pilipinas underscores that this moment must transcend short-term crisis management.
The emergency exposes the structural vulnerabilities of our import-dependent energy system as reflected on global conflicts particularly the US-Israel war on Iran. These shocks are not felt equally; low-income households, transport workers, and the commuting public bear the brunt of rising costs.
A climate justice approach requires an adept government response that prioritizes those most affected, treating affordability and access to renewable energy and public transport as rights, not mere privileges.
The rapid transmission of global oil prices to Filipino consumers also highlights a lack of accountability within a privatized oil sector. While crises drive public hardship, safeguards against excessive private gains remain limited. Addressing this imbalance is essential to ensure emergency measures correct, rather than reinforce, existing inequities.
Coinciding with Earth Hour, a global symbol of climate urgency—this state of emergency should serve as the definitive turning point toward a just, resilient, and people-centered energy future, moving the Philippines beyond symbolic gestures and recurring fossil fuel shocks toward a permanent, renewable-powered sovereignty.
Beyond Short-Term Fixes
Energy security must move beyond temporary fuel substitution. While such measures are vital as immediate responses, long-term solutions must translate into policies centered on people and the planet. The Philippines must urgently accelerate indigenous renewable energy (RE) to achieve genuine independence and stable prices. This transition is a technical necessity and a climate justice imperative, especially for off-grid communities where diesel dependency results in high costs and unreliable service.
Similarly, transport must be treated as a core public service. Rising fuel costs should not be absorbed solely by commuters and workers. Public investment should prioritize interconnected systems and active mobility—long-term social investments that enable productivity and cleaner air.
The Danger of Retrograde Policy
Proposals to temporarily allow Euro 2 fuels offer minor supply relief at a steep public health and environmental cost, containing sulfur levels ten times higher than the Euro 4 standard, these fuels increase black carbon emissions—a potent pollutant that accelerates warming and worsens respiratory illnesses like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This rollback risks reversing years of progress under the Clean Air Act and undermining the ongoing Public Transport Modernization Plan, locking in emissions in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.
A Pivot Toward Systemic Change
While the UPLIFT framework signals better national coordination, Local Government Units (LGUs) remain essential partners in building resilience. Many LGUs have already demonstrated that solar deployment and people-centered transport planning work; we do not need to start from scratch—we need to scale what already exists.
Ultimately, this crisis underscores that climate change is a development issue. While war in West Asia generates massive emissions and diverts critical resources, the Philippines continues to face escalating climate impacts. War destabilizes energy systems and deepens inequality, demanding responses that confront both immediate insecurity and long-standing structural vulnerability.
This moment also calls for confronting the deeper reality that fossil fuel dependence fuels conflict itself. Ending recurring energy emergencies means moving beyond oil wars and accelerating a just transition toward renewable energy systems that support peace, stability, and climate security.
True climate action must center lived realities, protect communities, and ensure accountability. This emergency is a pivot point to future-proof the country against fossil-fuel volatility. A just transition means protecting the vulnerable, strengthening self-reliance, and confronting the far greater, ongoing emergency of climate change.
Beyond the hour. Rise above the emergency. Toward a fossil-free future.