「日刊まにら新聞」ウェブ

The Philippines and Indonesia signed on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on energy cooperation to "achieve higher energy security" for both countries.

The signing of the MOU was witnessed by Marcos and Widodo at the President’s Hall in Malacanang Palace.

"Our ministries have worked hard and today we saw one of these works bear fruit as we witnessed the signing of the MOU on the Cooperation in the Field of Energy. Through this MOU, our countries create a new synergy as we cooperate to achieve energy security," Marcos said at the joint press briefing.

In a statement, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said "the signing of the MOU reinforces and updates the long-term energy cooperation between the two countries."

"On the part of the Philippines, it is an offshoot of our President’s efforts to achieve higher energy security through energy diplomacy," he added.

According to the DOE, under the MOU "both parties agreed to facilitate cooperation between their respective business sectors particularly during periods of critical supply constraints on energy commodities such as coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG)."

"The MOU also offers potential benefits across economic, environmental and geopolitical dimensions through collaboration on energy transition, renewable energy, demand-side management, electric vehicles, and alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and biofuels," it added.

Lotilla noted that Indonesia and the Philippines share common energy concerns and can benefit from heightened levels of cooperation.

"Indonesia and the Philippines are second and third globally in terms of installed geothermal generation plants. Both are currently highly dependent on coal-fired power plants and are seeking an orderly transition to cleaner technologies without imposing heavy additional burdens to their respective populations," he said.

Lotilla also emphasized that the Philippines has been a dependable market for Indonesian coal, accounting for nearly 98 percent share of total Philippine coal imports in 2022, consistently increasing from 88 percent in 2017.

However, "following the failure of Indonesian coal mines to provide adequate supply to their domestic power plants and markets, the Indonesian government issued a coal export ban in January 2022" which "forced countries like the Philippines to scramble for alternative sources of coal and caused coal prices to spike."

"The Philippines imported more than 80% of its coal requirements in 2023 and even more than 90 percent in previous years. Since then, the Philippines exerted diplomatic efforts to ensure a steady flow of coal supply from Indonesia," he said.

Lotilla said the latest among the Philippine diplomatic efforts were his bilateral meetings with Indonesian Energy Minister Arifin Tasrif during the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Ministers' Meeting held in Tokyo in March 2023 and the 41st ASEAN Energy Ministers Meeting (AMEM41) in August 2023 held in Bali, Indonesia.

During these engagements, Arifin reiterated his assurances of the continued and uninterrupted coal supply from Indonesia.

Aside from Energy cooperation, Marcos said "another MOU on Science and Technology is (also) nearing (its) the completion phase".

Marcos also recognized Indonesia's contribution to peace and development in the Southern Philippines.

"As Mindanao continues to reap the dividends of peace and democracy, we hope that Indonesia will continue to extend its helping hand to building the institutions of local governance, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region," he said,

"We also took this opportunity to reiterate to our respective agencies that they must expedite the relevant MOUs that will help unlock the economic potential of BARMM to encourage development, particularly on the livelihood of our many constituents residing in the said region," he added.

During their meeting both leaders also had "a fruitful and honest discussion on regional events of mutual interest such as the developments in the South China Sea".

In his opening statement at the Philippines - Indonesia bilateral meeting Widodo seeks Marcos support on the acquisition of Philippine Navy's anti-submarine warfare aircraft from Indonesia as he agree on strengthening cooperation on border security through joint patrols between the two countries. Robina Asido/DMS