In a recent interview with Reuters at the ASEAN energy ministers’ meeting, Philippine Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the country will continue to boost gas use for power generation with plans to add more gas-fired capacity. She described the country’s “renewable mix” as including “wind, gas, solar, and hydropower.” (Reuters, 2025)
This bet on gas is both short-sighted and risky, according to People of Asia for Climate Solutions.
First of all, this framing is misleading. Gas is not renewable. It is a fossil fuel with significant carbon emissions and high price volatility. Labeling it as clean energy muddies the country’s transition goals and risks slowing real decarbonization. Additionally, there is a real and probable risk of methane leakage in the production and delivery of gas. Methane is a potent GHG with a Global Warming Potential 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.
While committing to reducing coal use is a step forward, doubling down on imported gas exposes the Philippines to the same vulnerabilities it faces with coal: foreign supply dependence, price shocks, and stranded asset risks. The country already has the region’s second-highest power tariffs after Singapore, and greater gas reliance could push costs even higher.
If the aim is energy security and affordability, the smarter investment is in homegrown renewables like solar, wind, and hydro, which are resources the Philippines has in abundance. In 2024 alone, the Philippines added more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar. As the Energy Secretary herself noted, offshore wind alone could supply up to 1,500 MW if port infrastructure is ready by 2027.
Instead of using natural gas as “transition fuel”, it would be more prudent to diversify renewables and invest in battery energy storage systems (BESS) to address power intermittence when renewables drop (e.g. when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing). Grid modernization and regional interconnection will also balance energy by shifting when and how we use electricity.
Expending resources on natural gas will only delay renewable buildout. It is a trap that is expensive, polluting, and unnecessary.
Transitioning from coal to gas is like quitting smoking only to take up vaping: it may look cleaner, but it is the same addiction. True energy independence lies in scaling real renewables, not rebranding fossil fuels.
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Leovy Ramirez (she/her)
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