Manila: The Senate is aiming to complete the ratification of four key nuclear conventions before the President's fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July. Senator Erwin Tulfo is pressing agencies to meet a three-month timeline. The target was set during the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on Tuesday, which tackled the country's adoption of international nuclear safety and liability frameworks.

According to Philippines News Agency, the conventions under review include the Convention on Nuclear Safety, Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, 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. Department of Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Bacordo mentioned that four of the protocols have undergone processing, while one still requires concurrence from 24 government agencies.

Tulfo urged agencies to streamline coordination, suggesting Cabinet-level discussions to fast-track approvals. Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Edgar Badajos said the agency can transmit completed documents to the Office of the President within days once all requirements are submitted.

Badajos further explained that the Convention on Nuclear Safety applies only to civilian nuclear power plants and promotes high safety standards following global efforts to strengthen nuclear oversight. Six members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam -- have already signed the nuclear safety convention. The Philippines also has Republic Act No. 12305 or the Philippine National Nuclear Safety Act of 2025 to support treaty implementation.