What's on the Agenda for Energy Council Manila 2026?

• Defining the Philippines’ energy security priorities and policy direction through 2030
• Concrete plans to revitalize upstream exploration and strengthen domestic resource development

Usec. Sandy O Sales, Department of Energy of the Philippines

• How to overcome the restrictions due to land constraints to scale renewable integration nationwide
• 100% Foreign Ownership of renewable energy projects
• Integrate renewables with firm capacity to ensure system reliability and affordability
• National grid modernisation & transmission bottlenecks
• Navigating GEAP: Understanding pricing dynamics & supply chain constraints for winning bidders

Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, Undersecretary, Department of Energy Philippines
Alan Yau, CEO, Verdant Energy
Salman Masood Baray, CEO Philippines, ACWA Power
Thijs Sablerolle, Head of BD – Renewables – Philippines & Indonesia, TotalEnergies
Moderator: Patricia A. O. Bunye, Managing Partner, Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

• Powering the archipelago: renewables opportunity or system challenge?
• Solar-BESS-diesel hybrid for remote/isolated islands: system reliability vs. Cost?
• Philippine offshore wind: smooth sailing or rough waters ahead?

Nevi Winofa, Analyst, Renewables & Power Research, Rystad Energy

• Unlocking offshore gas potential by strengthening fiscal competitiveness and regulatory stability
• How to attract international capital and technical partners by reducing above-ground risk and improving licensing clarity
• How do you structure exploration financing to balance risk between operators, investors, and the host government?
• Plans to mitigate geopolitical and security concerns to restore investor confidence in frontier basins

Jaime Bacud, Vice President Upstream, PNOC-EC
Edgar Benedict Cutiongco, President, Philippine Petroleum Association
Sam Algar, COO, Tetragon Energy
Moderator: Joseph Casimiro, Managing Director Philippines, GAC

• Evaluating blue and green hydrogen pathways based on domestic demand and export potential
• How can we create a transitional bridge to lower emissions without jeopardizing grid reliability and escalating electricity costs for consumers?
• De-risking early-stage hydrogen exploration and pilot projects in the country
• Accelerating the phase-out of coal plants by repurposing existing sites for hybrid (renewable + battery) and green hydrogen storage systems
• Identifying bankable revenue models and risk-adjusted returns for investors

Oliver Oxenbridge, Director, Ophiolite Energy
Wai-Lid Wong, CEO, Matahio Energy
Bernard Tuanquin, Business Development Director, HDF Energy
Payaum Santkar, Director, Business Development, Koloma
Ken (Wen-Chih) Liu, Managing Director, Air Liquide
Moderator: Smith Lim, Partner, EY

• Deploying blended finance structures to crowd in institutional and multilateral capital
• Structure bankable gas, renewable, and hybrid assets that meet international credit standards
• How to manage foreign exchange exposure and sovereign risk to unlock long-term international investment

Kwang Heng Leow, Director, Head of Renewables, MUFG

Junghyun Kim, Senior Investment Specialist, ADB

Brian Pye, Sales VP ASEAN, IFS Copperleaf

Nicholas Padgalskas, Asia-Pacific Lead for Oil & Gas and New Energies, ING Bank

Joseph de Lara, Managing Director, ICCP

Moderator: Xylia Sim, Partner, Linklaters

• Rethinking energy trilemma in a fragmented world
• Complementing renewables growth with a portfolio approach
• Role of coal and gas in the energy transition

Raksit Pattanapitoon, Vice President of Renewables and Power Research for Asia-Pacific, Rystad Energy

• Strengthen energy resilience by developing LNG terminals, FSRUs, pipelines, and battery energy storage infrastructure.
• Implement public-private partnership models that accelerate project delivery while maintaining transparency.
• Structure long-term offtake agreements that unlock financing and de-risk infrastructure investment.
• Integrate low-carbon supply chains into operations.
• Fortify physical and digital networks against evolving cybersecurity threats and extreme weather disruptions to ensure uninterrupted national energy security.

James Byrne, VP Projects Development, AG&P LNG

Michelle Kim, SVP Business Development Asia & Middle East, Vopak

Cheryll Len V. Mendoza, Sector Chief Legal Officer for Oil and Gas, Prime Infra

David Blumental, Head of Energy, Natural Resources, Infrastructure and Construction, Asia; Global Co-Lead – Oil & Gas, Simmons & Simmons

Moderator: Andrew Duncan, Cost and Facilities Engineering Director, Gaffney Cline

• How natural gas, renewables, and biofuels & waste can be balanced to ensure affordability, reliability, and sustainability
• Assess readiness for potential inclusion of nuclear power by developing SMRs
• Exploring cross-border grids to diversify imports and safeguard against domestic power shortages

Manny Rubio, President and CEO, MGEN

Unchita Jittamai, Assistant Managing Director, Quezon Power (Philippines)

Jose Victor Emmanuel “Jocot” de Dios, President and CEO, Prime CoreGen

Moderator: Michael Guarin, Vice-Chairmain & Head of Advisory, KPMG