FIRST, we hate war. Whether it is on local ground or abroad, we despise it because it violates human rights, kills wantonly, and wastes resources unnecessarily. Just look at what is happening in the war initiated by the US and Israel against Iran in the past few days. What a waste of resources in Middle Eastern countries. And the repercussion, well, our tiny country is affected, and we are going to suffer.
I had a conversation with a tricycle driver on Wednesday, where he shared his fears about the worst that could happen if the Philippines loses its current fuel stockpiles. It is a valid concern. Candidly, I put the war stories on the sidelines, although I am reading information and watching selective news because, well, it’s a defense mechanism, so it won’t affect me. But the driver’s concern prodded me to study, so I did my research.
In a news article published in recent days, the Philippine president has said that the country’s current fuel stockpiles can last about twenty-nine days for LPG; fifty days for diesel, gasoline, and fuel oil; and sixty-seven days for kerosene. Oh boy, that is not a good picture, and the fears of the tricycle driver are sound. The article added, “At worst, if the conflict drags on, local oil companies may have no choice but to source fuel at significantly higher prices.” But this week, we already felt the pangs of the fuel price hike. So, we are already there, aren’t we?
What’s the Department of Energy (DOE) saying? The DOE said that the Philippines’ only remaining refinery in Bataan presently sources around ninety-eight percent of its crude oil or unrefined petroleum imports from the Middle East (There you go!), while for household LPG, the country primarily imports from Asian countries. However, Asian refineries also depend on crude oil from multiple producing countries, including those in the Middle East (Back to the Middle East).
The ASEAN Connection
What does the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have to say about this disturbing situation, especially since the Philippines is the current chair of ASEAN? Expectedly, ASEAN has formally urged an immediate halt to hostilities in the Middle East involving Israel, the United States, and Iran. A statement released by the ASEAN foreign ministers conveyed the regional organization’s “concern” over the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. . . . Like every country that advocates for a rules-based international order, it called on all parties “to exercise utmost self-restraint, avoid any acts that may further aggravate the situation, and resolve differences through diplomacy and dialogue in the interest of maintaining peace and stability in the region.”
And truly ASEAN, it urged the warring parties “to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, in line with international law, including the U.N. Charter” and “to protect civilians and civilian infrastructures in armed conflicts consistent with international law.” “The statement concluded with a pledge to “provide emergency assistance to ASEAN nationals” in the Middle East.
Now, I really wonder how ASEAN could assist ASEAN nationals since the default help will naturally come from the home country of these citizens. Is there an ASEAN desk to assist every ASEAN national? Are our OFWs aware that there is an ASEAN desk to aid and support them, other than their own embassy?
ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement
What’s our buffer for now? For ASEAN, the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement (APSA). But what is it? APSA is a treaty that provides relief to ASEAN Member States (AMS), enabling oil-sharing during supply emergencies. The ASEAN Council on Petroleum and Energy (ASCOPE) said that the new APSA is a covenant among AMS that establishes a petroleum-sharing scheme to assist any Member State(s) in times of emergencies due to petroleum supply shortages. Okay, we are listening. “To date, APSA has already been fully ratified by ten Member States, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam,” ASCOPE explained. In simpler terms, if our country is in distress, we can secure petroleum through the ASEAN APSA.
Revisiting history
I remember back in my elementary school years, in the seventies, war also broke out, triggering a gas crisis, which caused gas rationing in the country. I saw vehicles lined up in gasoline stations carrying extra containers to avail of regular and premium gasoline. This was the 1973 global oil shock. It was really a shock! As a kid, I thought the world was ending!
Following the declaration of an oil embargo by the Arab Oil Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC), under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, commencing in October 1973, the government instituted rationing as part of stringent conservation measures. The limitations imposed on OPEC’s oil exports and production impacted numerous nations deemed friendly to Israel, such as Europe, the United States, and Japan, as well as the Philippines, in the wake of the onset of the Arab-Israeli war on October 6, 1973.
This is really too much information over coffee.
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The writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales every Saturday, 10 a.m., at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City. Email at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Follow us on X @ShilohRuthie./PN
