“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“The Philippines, which has some of the region’s highest energy costs, is heavily dependent on imported fuel to keep its power plants running.”

“The Philippines generates about 60% of its electricity 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.”

“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.”