Latest in Strait of HormuzThe closure of the Strait of Hormuz dealt a “double whammy” to Filipino farmers, driving up fertilizer prices on top of already elevated costs from the broader Iran conflict, Senate President Win Gatchalian said Saturday, warning that the agriculture sector has borne a disproportionate share of…
A Senate special committee formed to assess the economic impact of the Iran conflict has seen 22 of its 50 recommendations already implemented by the executive branch, Senate President Win Gatchalian said Saturday, as oil prices are expected to decline following a peace accord between Iran and the…
Philippine inflation surged to 7.2% year-on-year in April 2026, the fastest pace in more than three years. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort on Tuesday, May 5, attributed the acceleration largely to the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has sent fuel…
Vietnam is in the grip of a construction frenzy unlike anything Southeast Asia has seen in a generation—and while Hanoi breaks ground on bullet trains, nuclear plants, and the world’s largest stadium, the Philippines is fighting a different kind of battle: keeping fuel affordable for ordinary…
The Philippines has implemented more policy measures to counter the global oil shock than any other economy in Southeast Asia, according to a report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Manila-based multilateral lender’s latest brief showed the Philippines adopted 7 of 8 major policy…
The Philippines may be enduring one of its final oil crises, with an economist arguing that electric vehicles and remote work are dismantling the structural vulnerability that has made every fuel shock a national emergency. University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) School of Economics Dean Dr.…
Chinese government scientists are warning that this year’s El Niño could drive up global demand for fossil fuels and compound the energy price increases triggered by the ongoing Iran crisis. The South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing the China Meteorological Administration, reported that…
The Philippines is among the most vulnerable economies in Asia to the ongoing refined fuel crisis, according to a research briefing released by Oxford Economics on April 15, as disruptions stemming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz ripple across regional supply chains. The briefing…
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a striking claim in a television interview: a reset of the Philippines’ ties with China was, in his words, “happening now.” Speaking to Bloomberg, he also said the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which prompted him to declare a national energy crisis after…
The most punishing oil price surge in modern history isn’t over yet. Global oil prices extended their historic climb on Monday, March 30, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the Iran conflict, deepening fears that a widening war in the Middle East…
One month into the war between the United States and Iran, there are no signs of a ceasefire, no formal peace negotiations on the table, and no clear end in sight. What began as a swift American military strike — framed by the Trump administration as a decisive blow against Iran’s nuclear…
The Philippines has recorded the highest increase in diesel prices globally, with costs rising by 81.6% since the start of the Iran war, according to data from Global Petrol Prices. The surge places the country at the top of a global list of fuel price increases, highlighting the severity of the…
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would again extend a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face potential strikes on its energy infrastructure, even as Tehran rejected a 15-point U.S. proposal to end the conflict as one-sided. “Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements…
A war thousands of kilometers away is beginning to ripple through something as basic as the Filipino dining table. The conflict involving Iran has pushed oil prices higher, disrupted key shipping routes, and strained global supply chains—especially for fertilizer, a critical input for food…
The Philippine Peso has slipped to ₱60.1 against the US dollar, its weakest level on record, raising a question many Filipinos are now asking: is this good or bad for the economy? The short answer, according to former Finance Secretary Gary Teves, is that it depends—but for most Filipinos, the…
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