No widespread brownouts expected in PH amid Middle East oil crisis — DOE

The Department of Energy (DOE) has dismissed concerns regarding widespread brownouts resulting from the Middle East oil crisis.

DOE Undersecretary Felix “Wimpy” Fuentebella assured senators that any potential outages would be due to localized technical issues rather than fuel shortages.

During a Senate hearing of the Proactive Response and Oversight for Timely and Effective Crisis Strategy (PROTECT) Ad Hoc Committee, Fuentebella assured senators that any potential outages would be due to localized technical issues rather than fuel shortages.

He emphasized that the National Oil and Gas Contingency Plan is utilizing an interagency approach to manage the situation and committed to full transparency should issues arise.

"It won’t be because of the oil crisis if we have a brownout. Maybe a wire would be hit, but it won’t be because of the oil crisis,” Fuentebella told senators during the hearing.

“As of now, no… But we will tell you and we will inform. We will be transparent if such an issue arises,” he stressed.

However, several senators are urging more aggressive action. Senator Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV has called for the declaration of a State of National Emergency to grant the government broader powers to regulate prices and protect critical services.

He also noted that he has reached out to Executive Secretary Ralph Recto to prioritize negotiations on the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement (APSA) to ensure regional support during supply disruptions.

“We urgently need to declare a State of National Emergency and many of us feel the same way. The government needs broader emergency powers to immediately address this crisis,” Aquino said.

He added that he had written Executive Secretary Ralph Recto last week to push for formal negotiations on the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement (APSA), which would enable member states to assist one another during supply disruptions.

“This is the right time for us to lead this discussion and talk about the necessary long-term investments in infrastructure and the availability of oil supply in our country,” he said.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the PROTECT panel, further emphasized the need for a cohesive Unified Coordinated National Contingency Plan.

He noted that the plan must expand beyond energy to address food security and the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), arguing that the current situation already constitutes a crisis requiring immediate, comprehensive planning.

“This is not only oil and gas, but also to include overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), our food security, of course, supermarket goods…” Gatchalian pointed out.

“It seems that until now we are still debating over whether we are already in a crisis or not in crisis. But for us here in the Senate, we are in a crisis already,” he said.

"We need a cohesive Unified Coordinated National Contingency Plan. It’s just surprising that after almost three weeks, almost 24 to 25 days, we still don’t have a national contingency plan…It seems to me that every hour, every minute, the situation in the Middle East changes. All the more, we have to come up with a contingency plan if this gets prolonged,” he stressed.

-Paraluman News