MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) said Indonesia’s pending decision on its 2026 Rencana Kerja dan Anggaran Biaya (RKAB) or its nickel mining quota highlights the growing importance of maintaining a diversified and resilient regional critical minerals supply chain. As one of the world’s leading nickel producers, the Philippines remains well-positioned to serve as a reliable long-term supplier and an increasingly attractive destination for critical minerals investment.
PNIA said the Philippines remains one of the world’s leading nickel producers, accounting for approximately 10% of global nickel output and holding the world’s 6th largest nickel reserves according to the US Geological Survey 2025 Mineral Commodity Summary. In 2025, the country produced 67 million wet metric tons (WMT) of nickel ore, of which more than 70% came from PNIA member companies.
PNIA president Atty. Dante R. Bravo stated, “Indonesia’s quota decisions each year are a reminder of a simple fact: global nickel supply cannot responsibly rest on a single country’s policy calendar.”
“The Philippines has consistently supplied the region through every cycle, through quota tightening, through quota easing, through pandemic disruption. That consistency is not an accident. It is the foundation the Philippines now offers the region as it builds a more resilient, diversified critical minerals supply chain,” Bravo stressed.
PNIA emphasized that the Philippines views Indonesia as a strategic partner in strengthening ASEAN’s role in the global nickel value chain. Earlier this year, PNIA and the Asosiasi Penambang Nikel Indonesia (APNI) signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation in responsible mining, sustainability, investment promotion, and knowledge sharing, dubbing their partnership as the “IndoPhil Nickel Corridor”.
Diversifying critical minerals away from single-market dependence
PNIA noted that recent market developments also reinforce the importance of diversifying critical minerals supply chains as global demand for nickel continues to grow.
“The world learned, through cobalt, through rare earths, and now through nickel, what happens when critical minerals supply is concentrated in too few hands or too few markets,” said Bravo. “ASEAN has the geology, the labor, and now, increasingly, the capital, partnerships, technology, and market for its more than 700 million population to ensure that does not happen with nickel. The Philippines intends to be a central part of that diversification, alongside Indonesia, not instead of it.”
Positioning the Philippines for downstream investment
The Association reiterated that strengthening the Philippines’ investment environment remains essential to capturing greater value from the global energy transition. Continued improvements in permitting efficiency, regulatory predictability, and investment competitiveness will be critical to attracting downstream processing investments and expanding the country’s participation in higher-value segments of the critical minerals supply chain.
“We have the ore. We have growing interest from processing investors. What stands between the Philippines and a much larger role in the global battery and stainless steel supply chain is the speed and predictability of our own permitting system,” Bravo said. “PNIA continues to work with DENR, MGB, DTI, ARTA, DILG, DOE, NCIP, DOF and DOST to close that gap.”
A timely opening: deepening ties with Canada and diversified western
PNIA also noted that ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships with countries such as Canada, alongside broader ASEAN cooperation, present new opportunities to diversify markets, attract responsible investments, and reinforce the region’s role in supplying critical minerals for the global energy transition.
“Canada is one of the world’s most credible voices on responsible critical minerals sourcing, and it is actively seeking to diversify its supply partnerships in the Indo-Pacific,” Bravo said. “A concluded Philippines–Canada FTA, alongside a broader ASEAN–Canada agreement, would give global manufacturers and battery producers a genuine, rules-based alternative sourcing option, one grounded in ASEAN supply, not concentrated in any single country. The timing of these negotiations, alongside the recalibration of nickel supply policy across the region, is not a coincidence. It reflects a broader global shift toward diversified, trusted sourcing of critical minerals.”
A call for coordinated ASEAN Action
PNIA likewise encouraged closer regional cooperation among critical mineral-producing countries to strengthen supply chain resilience, promote responsible mining standards, and enhance ASEAN’s collective competitiveness.
“The goal is not to replace one dominant supplier with another. The goal is a genuinely balanced, multi-country, multi-market critical minerals supply chain for the energy transition, one where the Philippines, Indonesia, and our ASEAN neighbors each play a durable role,” Bravo concluded.
