Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Saturday, March 28, that the upper chamber’s Proactive Response and Oversight for Timely and Effective Crisis Strategy (PROTECT) Committee was preparing its interim report--including initial recommendations--to address the country’s fuel supply concerns amid the ongoing Middle East crisis.

Among the key recommendations being considered by the panel is the use of government-to-government (G2G) negotiations to secure additional fuel supply for the country.

“Yung pinakamahalaga dito na nakuha namin ay gamitin ng gobyerno yung kanilang relasyon sa iba't ibang bansa at dito na nga pumapasok yung tinatawag natin government to government or G2G negotiations para makapagpasok na tayo ng karagdagang supply (Our most important takeaway here is that the government should use its relationships with different countries, and this is where what we call government-to-government or G2G negotiations come in, so that we can bring in additional supply),” he said in an interview with Usapang Senado on DWIZ.

While there has been no formal response yet from the executive branch, Gatchalian noted initial developments indicating small shipments from other countries.

“Wala pang formal response pero nakita ko sa mga news reports na may mga pumapasok ng cargo. Like for example, yung sa Russia, pumasok na siya. Although maliit lang siya, good for two days lang. Tapos may nakita rin akong news report na galing naman ng Japan (There has been no formal response yet, but I’ve seen news reports that cargo shipments are already coming in. For example, shipments from Russia have arrived. Although they are small, they are only good for two days. I’ve also seen reports of shipments coming from Japan),” he said.

He stressed the need to intensify negotiations at a higher level, and reckoned efforts should go beyond technical or mid-level engagements.

Gatchalian cited Thailand as an example. He said its government was able to secure the passage of oil cargo through diplomatic coordination with Iran.

“So ito yung mga ganitong halimbawa ang gusto natin ipakita. Dahil meron naman tayong relasyon sa Iran at ito talaga kailangan na kailangan. So kung makikipag-ugnayan tayo sa kanila, na payagan na palabasin yung mga cargo shipments natin. Yan ang pinakamaganda (These are the kinds of examples we want to highlight. Since we already have relations with Iran, and this is something we really need, if we coordinate with them and ask for permission to release our cargo shipments, that would be the best outcome),” he added.

The senator also pointed to potential supply sources outside traditional partners, including Central Asian countries.

“Kailangan gamitin na natin lahat ng pwede natin gamitin. Pag-ugnayan sa Iran, bumili ng cargo sa Russia. In fact, this morning lang may tawag akong nakuha sa PCCI na mayroon rin mga offers sa Ubekistan. Kasi ang Ubekistan, yung mga tan countries, oil producer yan, oil and gas (We need to use everything we can. Coordinate with Iran, purchase cargo from Russia. In fact, just this morning I received a call from the PCCI that there are also offers from Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan, like other ‘tan’ countries, is an oil and gas producer),” he said.

“At nag-offer rin sila at mura. Ang quote sa akin kanina mga around $40 to $50 per barrel. So napakalayo ng presyo. So in other words, may mga available sa mga non-traditional areas, katulad ng Ubekistan, na dapat natin matawagan o makipag-ugnayan sa kanila (They have also made offers, and they are cheaper. The quote given to me earlier was around $40 to $50 per barrel, which is significantly lower. In other words, there are supplies available from non-traditional sources, such as Uzbekistan, that we should be able to contact or coordinate with),” he added.

Gatchalian emphasized that high-level engagement, including direct talks by President Marcos, would be key to securing supply.

“Dahil ang ating Pangulo, ang kagandahan over the last three years, talagang relationship building siya. At dito na natin magagamit yung relationship niya. At yun naman ang magandang nagawa ng first three years. Talagang umikot siya sa buong mundo para magkaroon tayo ng relasyon sa iba't ibang bansa na magagamit na natin sa ganitong panahon ng krisis (Because our President, over the past three years, has really focused on building relationships. And this is where we can make use of those relationships. That is one of the good things he has done in the first three years—he has traveled around the world to establish ties with various countries that we can now use in times of crisis),” he said.