Teodoro: PH can’t join Hormuz escort mission
LAOAC, Pangasinan—The Philippines has no capability to deploy forces and assets to secure ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but it will continue to push for deescalation of the Middle East conflict, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Tuesday.
“We don’t have the capability to escort. To me, it’s moot and academic,” Teodoro told reporters here when asked about US President Donald Trump’s call for allies to send warships to help protect world oil supplies passing through the vital maritime chokepoint.
So far, only Japan has expressed willingness to collaborate with the United States and others for safe navigation in the waterway. In retaliation for US and Israeli attacks, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for 20 percent of world oil supplies, triggering spiraling petroleum prices.
Teodoro said that Manila’s priority is to push for de-escalation, citing risks to more than two million Filipinos working and living in the Middle East.
Impact on farmers
“We look to an early resolution of the crisis in the Middle East because first and foremost, our countrymen are put in danger,” he said.
The defense chief warned that prolonged instability could drive up global oil prices, with knock-on effects on the Philippine economy, including higher fuel and fertilizer costs.
Global oil prices have surged sharply amid escalating attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran intensified missile and drone strikes across the Gulf following the Feb. 28 US-Israel offensive.
The disruption to one of the world’s most critical oil routes has rattled energy markets and raised fears of prolonged supply shocks.
Teodoro said the government is already anticipating the impact on farmers, noting that rising costs of agricultural inputs could strain agricultural production.
“We rushed this (event) so we can help the farmers … because the price of fertilizer and their other expenses will go up,” said the defense chief, who led a medical and dental mission and oversaw the distribution of agricultural supplies to Laoac residents, alongside Mayor Ricardo Balderas.
