Manila, Philippines – Amid the looming energy supply crisis, brought by evolving conflict in the Gulf, the Senate is now planning to complete the ratification of four key nuclear conventions within three months, targeting before the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
During the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on Tuesday, Senator Erwin Tulfo told agencies to expedite the ratification of the Philippines’ adoption of international nuclear safety and liability frameworks.
Tulfo also directed the agencies to immediately submit the said protocols to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The review is anchored on the Convention on Nuclear Security, the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, the Protocol amending the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management.
According to the Department of Energy, four protocols are already in the process, while one still needs to be approved by 24 government agencies.
The senator is also facilitating coordination, including discussions at cabinet-levels to expedite the approval of protocols.
Six members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) including Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have already signed the nuclear safety convention.
Last September 2025, RA No. 12305 or the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act was signed into law, which seeks to establish an independent authority to oversee the safe use of nuclear energy in the country.—Alvin Pelobello, Eurotv News