Philippines says it is working with US to obtain oil from US-sanctioned nations

This comes after the Southeast Asian nation, which relies heavily on imported fuel, declared a state of national emergency on Tuesday2-MIN READ2-MIN1 ListenPublished: 9:59pm, 25 Mar 2026The Philippines is working with Washington to secure waivers and exemptions that will allow it to obtain oil from US-sanctioned countries and guarantee supplies, its ambassador to the United States said.The Philippines, which relies heavily on imported fuel, declared a state of national energy emergency on Tuesday to deal with the fallout from the Middle East war, including ‌the disruptions to oil procurement.“We are working with the State Department to get waivers or exemptions to purchase oil from US-sanctioned countries,” Jose Manuel Romualdez told Reuters in an exchange of phone messages. Asked if imports of oil from Venezuela and Iran were part of the discussions, Romualdez said “all options are being considered”.Asked what has been the response from the State Department, the ambassador said: “Work in progress.”02:56Workers across Asia feel squeeze as fuel prices skyrocketWorkers across Asia feel squeeze as fuel prices skyrocketAs of March 20, the government said the Philippines had around 45 days of fuel supply, and is procuring one million ⁠more barrels of oil to build its buffer stock.Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said in a televised address on Wednesday that the country’s fuel ‌supply would not run dry after 45 days as his government has been looking for other sources.