MANILA: The Philippines has sought safe passage for desperately needed oil shipments in a meeting with Iran, a presidential spokeswoman said on Wednesday (April 1), as the import-dependent archipelago jockeys with other regional countries for fuel.
The price of fuel has hit historic highs in the Philippines since treaty ally the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb 28, with Tehran effectively closing the vital Strait of Hormuz to traffic since.
President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency last week, later saying that "nothing was off the table" as the country of 116 million tried to meet its need for fuel.
On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said she had explored "key avenues for cooperation" in a meeting with Iranian ambassador Yousef Esmaeilzadeh that included the Philippines' energy secretary.
"Building on the momentum of our Political Consultations last November 2025, we are committed to deepening our cooperation across all fronts, particularly energy cooperation," she said in a post on social media platform X.
Presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro later told reporters that Lazaro had sought safe passage through the strait for oil shipments bound for the Philippines.
"Secretary Lazaro requested that Iran formally designate (the Philippines) as a 'non-hostile country' and ensure safe passage for PH-flagged vessels and oil shipments," Castro told reporters via messaging app.
"This is vital for the protection of our seafarers and our energy supply."
She added the Iranian ambassador had been "awaiting our outreach and reaffirmed their strong willingness to assist the Philippines with our specific requests".
Lazaro was expected to speak with Iran's foreign minister on Thursday to formally secure those commitments, she said.
The Iranian embassy in Manila declined to comment on the meeting.
In a report to the Philippine stock exchange released Monday, the operator of the country's sole oil refinery said it had agreed to purchase Russian crude after seeing at least four million barrels in shipments cancelled since the start of the Middle East war.
Its purchase of 2.5 million barrels of Russian crude had been made out of "extreme necessity", the report from Petron Corp said.
AFP had previously reported that a tanker filled with Russian crude oil had arrived at the harbour servicing Petron's refinery, a purchase unthinkable before the United States eased sanctions tied to Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Wednesday's meeting between the Philippines and Iran comes just days after Malaysia announced its tankers would be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without paying any toll to Tehran. - AFP
