In order to address climate change and attain sustainable growth, there is a need to quantify driving factors in CO2 emissions in the developing countries. While information for accounting of Philippine CO2 emissions are abound, there is a lack of analytical studies on the driving forces. In this study, the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) is used to quantify the driving forces of changes in Philippine CO2 emissions from 1991 to 2014. The top-down approach described from 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines was used to estimate CO2 emissions from national fuel combustion and electricity generation. Results affirm the negative impacts of economic growth and higher standard of living to CO2 emissions, and reveal the significant damages inconsistent energy structures deliver to the emissions performance of a country. This has never been highlighted in previous studies in ASEAN and other developing countries. Policies to protect the energy structure from fluctuating oil prices, to improve energy planning capabilities, and to promote industrial symbiosis are recommended. On the other hand, the contribution of economic activity and energy intensity to CO2 emissions offset each other. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.