As Philippines battles fuel crisis, will Marcos postpone Asean summit?

Philippine lawmakers have implored President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to postpone this year’s Asean summit, as the country grapples with soaring fuel prices amid a global energy crisis. Analysts warn, however, that such a move would undermine Manila’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Leaders in the Philippine Senate have backed calls to study the postponement option, originally proposed by ex-finance secretary Gary Teves to cut government spending and redirect funds towards cushioning the impact of skyrocketing fuel rates. “The times call for such a possible move,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Monday, adding that Marcos could look into the measure. In December, Congress approved 17.5 billion pesos (US$290 million) for the hosting of Asean events and other related meetings in 2026 after the Philippines took over the reins from Malaysia. Manila has been hosting foreign ministers’ retreats since January, with the 48th Asean Leaders’ Summit set to take place in Cebu in May, while the 49th summit will occur in November. Since the Iran war broke out in February, Manila has been among the hardest hit by surging fuel prices, with 90 per cent of its imported fuel sourced from the Middle East, according to a recent report by the ING Group. Diesel prices in the country breached the three-digit mark for the first time earlier this month, as petrol stations manually improvised price displays on their two-digit screens. Senator Panfilo Lacson said Teves’ proposal “merits at least serious study and possible reconsideration”, after he raised the possibility of using the 17 billion budget for subsidies and other programmes that could help affected livelihood sectors and soften the blow of the Iran conflict on costs. “I think our Asean neighbours would understand,” Lacson said. Senator Imee Marcos also proposed scaling down the summit if postponement was not possible, suggesting that officials could leverage the event by securing commitments from Asean members with oil resources – such as Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia – and explore opportunities with oil-producing countries like Russia and Iran. “If it would be embarrassing to postpone [the summit], we can proceed with the event as meetings and keep it as simplified as possible and use the opportunity to meet and ask for support from oil-producing members,” she said. A balancing act Analysts say the Philippines must learn how to balance its domestic issues with its Asean chair commitment, adding that postponing the event would send the wrong message to its neighbours. While the Philippines can scale down its preparations, it should use the summit to demonstrate its leadership and preparedness during a crisis, according to Julio Amador, interim president of the Foundation for the National Interest and founder and trustee of the non-profit policy advisory firm FACTS Asia. “I think at this point the Philippines has to show leadership. That means that even if we have a crisis, this is actually a good time for Asean to show leadership, not only in the region but around the world, [and] how united the regional organisation can be in responding to a crisis,” he said. “This is not just an energy crisis, this is also a geopolitical matter that I think Asean needs to weigh in on. And for Marcos, it’s an opportune time to show a robust and firm hand in responding to the crisis.” For Gary Ador Dionisio, dean of the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde’s School of Diplomacy and Governance, the Philippines’ role in Asean will not be judged by rising fuel prices, but by how effectively it responds. “If the government manages this crisis with transparency, discipline and regional cooperation, we can actually strengthen our credibility, not lose it,” he said, adding that postponing the summit would signal that the Marcos administration retreated in times of difficulty. “Because leadership requires showing up, even under pressure. The more strategic approach is not cancellation, but efficiency: a lean, disciplined summit that protects both our fiscal position and our diplomatic standing.” While the intention to redirect resources towards addressing the fuel crisis is understandable, delaying the event comes with substantial diplomatic trade-offs, according to Arjan Aguirre, an assistant professor of political science at the Ateneo de Manila University. Aguirre said postponement could introduce uncertainty and be perceived as a lack of readiness or political will, while the expected financial savings might be limited compared with the potential reputational and strategic costs for the country. The Philippines could instead reframe the Asean agenda to reflect current challenges, such as energy security, supply chain resilience and economic cooperation, analysts say. “This is not a choice between Asean leadership and solving our domestic crisis – we must do both,” Dionisio said. “In fact, the Philippines can turn this challenge into an opportunity by pushing energy security and resilience as central Asean priorities. That is how domestic pressures become platforms for regional leadership.”

As Philippines battles fuel crisis, will Marcos postpone Asean summit?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lawmakers have urged the president to postpone or scale down the event and redirect funds towards softening the blow of rising energy costs

Lawmakers have urged the president to postpone or scale down the event and redirect funds towards softening the blow of rising energy costs