ASEAN leaders to agree on new energy measures as Middle East crisis drags on

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian leaders are expected to agree on new measures to deal with the energy crunch from the Middle East conflict when they meet in Manila next week, the spokesperson of the Philippines' ASEAN chairship said Friday, November 13. 

Asked how the government would measure the success of the Philippines' year as ASEAN chair, spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial acknowledged the region was "still feeling the impacts of the Middle East crisis." 

In response, the region's leaders are expected to take "additional measures and decisions" on the energy situation, among other issues, when they meet next week, Imperial told reporters at a briefing.

Food security, the fight against transnational crime and online scams, and greater protection for migrant workers, particularly Filipinos, are also on the agenda, Imperial said. 

The 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., will run from Sunday, November 15, to Tuesday, November 17.

The Philippines relies heavily on imported oil and has been reeling from high fuel prices since the conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces broke out in February this year and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. 

Prices have eased in recent weeks following greater expectations of a de-escalation in the war after the Democratic Party's sweep of the US midterm elections. 

The Department of Energy announced a sharp gasoline rollback of P16.80 per liter for November 10 to 16 on hopes of a diplomatic settlement in the conflict, though local prices remain well above prewar levels.

At their first summit of the year, in Cebu in May, ASEAN leaders adopted a proposal for a regional oil stockpiling mechanism and agreed to speed up ratification of a regional petroleum security pact, while voicing serious concern over the conflict's impact on the region's economies and energy routes.

Imperial said the study on the stockpile was still being done, and the Philippines hoped its results would feed into the Manila summit. As a result, the size of the possible reserve has not been set.  

On the updated ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement, under which members would supply fuel to neighbors facing severe shortages, Imperial said the bloc's members were still working through its ratification.  

The number of ASEAN members that have ratified the agreement so far is "four or five," Imperial said.

This includes the Philippines, as Marcos previously confirmed the country's ratification of the deal in his State of the Nation Address in July.  

The bloc has been hoping for a full ratification by this month's summit, which is also the last high-level engagement during Manila's term as ASEAN chair.

Signed in October 2025, the updated agreement will replace a 2009 agreement and take effect 90 days after ratification is formally deposited with the ASEAN secretary-general. 

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