Philippines declares ‘national energy emergency’ and boosts coal power as Iran war grinds on
Analysis Summary
- Propaganda Score
- 40% (confidence: 90%)
Fact-Check Results
“The Philippines president, Ferdinand Marcos, has declared a state of 'national energy emergency' as a result of the Middle East war, which his administration said posed 'an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply'.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to confirm or refute the claim about Ferdinand Marcos declaring a national energy emergency.
“The state of emergency, which will initially last for a year, was declared just hours after the country’s energy secretary said the Philippines planned to boost the output of its coal-fired power plants to keep electricity costs down as the war wreaks havoc with gas shipments.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify the duration of the declared state of emergency.
“The Philippines is seeking waivers from the US state department so it can obtain oil from US-sanctioned countries – possibly including Iran and Venezuela – to ensure its fuel supply, the country’s ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez, told Reuters.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to confirm the Philippines' request for US waivers to obtain oil from sanctioned countries.
“As of 20 March, the government said the country had about 45 days of fuel supply remaining and is seeking to procure another 1m barrels of oil to build its buffer.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify fuel supply figures or procurement plans as of 20 March.
“The Department of Migrant Workers was asked to brace for the possible rescue and evacuation of Filipinos in the Middle East. About 2.4 million Filipinos live and work in the Middle East, including about 31,000 in Israel and 800 in Iran.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to confirm the number of Filipinos in the Middle East or specific country breakdowns.
“The government has also started to provide 5,000 pesos each to large numbers of motorcycle taxi drivers and other public transport workers nationwide to help them cope with soaring fuel prices.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify the government's financial assistance to transport workers.
“The Philippines, which has some of the region’s highest energy costs, is heavily dependent on imported fuel to keep its power plants running.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to confirm energy cost levels or fuel dependency claims.
“The Philippines generates about 60% of its electricity from coal.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify the percentage of electricity generated from coal.
“The energy secretary, Sharon Garin, told reporters earlier on Tuesday that with the cost of liquefied natural gas (LNG) soaring, the country would 'temporarily' be forced to lean even more heavily on coal.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to confirm the energy secretary's statements about coal reliance.
“Indonesia has assured the Philippines it would place no limits on coal orders, Garin said. 'There’s no restriction on our importation of coal from Indonesia as of today,' she said, adding that increased purchases may not be necessary.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify Indonesia's assurance regarding coal imports.
“Marcos in January announced a 'significant' discovery of natural gas made near the country’s rapidly depleting Malampaya offshore natural gasfield.”
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PENDING
“It was hoped the discovery could extend the life of the field, which supplies about 40% of power to main island Luzon and was expected to run dry within a few years.”
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PENDING