The Philippines has assumed the ASEAN Chairship for 2026, marking a significant moment for the region’s collective journey toward inclusive and sustainable development. As the first ASEAN Member State to adopt the more inclusive term Chairship, moving away from the traditional Chairman, the Philippines signals its commitment to representation, equality and shared leadership. Guided by the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together,” the Chairship reflects a collective regional ambition: that development, security, and the transformation of Southeast Asia’s energy systems must progress in a way that places people and communities at the heart of decision-making.
The Philippines has also articulated clear priorities for regional energy cooperation during its Chairship. Under the sectoral theme “ASEAN Energy Assemble,” the country highlights ASEAN’s collective strengths across four key areas: securing people through inclusive and reliable energy access; powering development and green industries as engines of sustainable growth; fostering innovation through emerging technologies; and building resilience through stronger systems, standards, and regional cooperation. Together, these priorities reflect an understanding that ASEAN’s energy transition must go beyond technological change alone. Expanding access ensures reliable energy for growing economies, green industries open new opportunities for jobs and investment, innovation accelerates low-carbon solutions, and resilient systems strengthen regional cooperation.
These priorities arrive at a pivotal moment for the region.Across ASEAN, renewable energy is expanding, the ASEAN Power Grid is gaining momentum, and new pathways for decarbonisation are taking shape. Yet alongside progress, essential questions are rising: Who will have access to the opportunities created by the transition? How can affordability and security be ensured for all? And how can clean energy development strengthen, rather than widen, social and economic disparities?
Here, the Philippines brings a compelling strength to the regional table: a long-standing culture of women’s participation in public service and energy leadership. Last year, Secretary Sharon S. Garin assumed the role of Secretary of Energy, becoming the second woman to lead the ministry following Secretary Zenaida Monsada, who served in an acting capacity from 2015–2016. She oversees one of the country’s most strategically critical and technically complex portfolios, supported by seven Undersecretaries, including two distinguished women leaders, Undersecretary Mylene C. Capongcol and Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara.
This leadership profile reflects a broader national context of gender equality and inclusive governance. Recent data highlight the Philippines’ consistent progress on gender equality, with women holding visible roles in government, business, academia, and finance. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, the Philippines currently ranks among the top 20 countries globally, first in Asia, with a gender-parity score of 78.1%. Advancements extend beyond public institutions: women now occupy close to 40% of Executive Leadership Team roles in publicly listed companies, signalling growing representation in corporate strategy and governance. In addition, women hold 43% of senior management positions across medium-sized Philippine firms, one of the highest shares worldwide. Within the energy sector specifically, the Department of Energy continues to champion women’s empowerment and skill development, positioning the country to lead regional dialogue with lived experience and demonstrated practice.
These achievements do not imply equality has been fully realised, gaps remain at the highest corporate and political levels, but they demonstrate a culture in which women’s leadership is not an exception, but a recognised asset. As ASEAN accelerates its energy transition, this experience will be invaluable in shaping policies that foster inclusivity at scale.
The alignment with regional priorities could not be stronger. Under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026–2030, operationally started during the Philippines’ Chairship, the region has committed, for the first time, to making a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition a central pillar of cooperation. The Philippines is therefore well-placed to lead ASEAN from ambition to implementation, ensuring progress is not measured only in megawatts, but in meaningful improvements to quality of life.
As part of this effort, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) is collaborating with the Department of Energy of the Philippines to host the second ASEAN Energy-Gender Forum in the first quarter of 2026. The forum will showcase best practices and mobilise partnerships that strengthen community resilience, expand economic participation, and ensure that clean energy transitions foster opportunity rather than inequality. If symbolism has power, and it often does, then a room full of women leaders shaping the future of energy systems in a country proud of its gender leadership says something much larger: the transition must be shared.
Furthermore, on the occasion of the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (44th AMEM) in September this year, at the Gala Night of the ASEAN Energy Business Forum, the very first ASEAN Women on Energy will also be introduced as part of its long-standing program, ASEAN Energy Awards (AEA).
The energy challenges facing Southeast Asia remain significant. Energy demand continues to rise rapidly, climate vulnerabilities grow more urgent, and inequality remains a persistent concern. Without careful policy design, the clean energy shift could still leave certain groups behind. Women leaders in the sector, many of whom have navigated systemic barriers, bring perspectives that help prevent such blind spots. They ask questions that matter: “How are families coping with price shocks? Which communities still rely on polluting fuels? Who is excluded when recruitment focuses on traditional engineering backgrounds?” They understand, instinctively, that energy security is not only measured in infrastructure alone, but in access, affordability and opportunity.
The Philippines’ Chairship offers an opportunity to advance a regional narrative where energy systems are designed with inclusivity as a core principle. Success can be reflected in more communities connected to reliable power, stronger workforce pathways for women and youth, and broader participation in energy policy dialogues that shape the future.
Progress will not be measured by the number of panel discussions hosted or declarations signed. It will be measured by communities gaining access to affordable, reliable power. It will be measured by women seeing pathways into green careers, not just temporary project-based work. It will be measured by how many voices are heard in planning meetings that once invited only a few.
A Chairship cannot solve every challenge in twelve months. But it can change the questions, the tone, and the level of ambition. The Philippines has everything it needs to ensure that ASEAN’s next steps are not only greener, but fairer. With women leading the charge, inclusivity is not a side note; it is the strategy.
If the Philippines chooses to make this its legacy, “Navigating Our Future, Together” will feel less like a theme, and more like a promise kept.
