Hontiveros urges look into PH contingency measures amid Middle East tensions

Philippine Canadian Inquirer
March 3, 2026

(File Photo | Senate of the Philippines)

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution 326 on Monday, calling for a look into the country’s contingency measures amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East, to ensure the safety of Filipinos and mitigate economic volatility.

In its explanatory note, the resolution underscored the necessity to review the country’s policies in light of developments in the region, and that neglecting to do so could set an unfavorable chain of events that will impact the Philippine economy at large.

Hontiveros stressed in the resolution that sustained rising global crude prices could create an “inflationary shockwave” that could deter the country’s economic growth.

Adding that volatility could inevitably burden sectors, mainly transport and agriculture sectors, thereby translating into higher transport fares and inflated prices for basic food staples and, in turn, eroding the “purchasing power of Filipino families and threatening to undo recent gains in poverty reduction and domestic consumption”.

“The current crisis is a good opportunity to re-examine the country’s energy security policy, such as by establishing a government-administered national strategic energy reserve to serve as a buffer against global supply disruptions, and updating the Renewable Energy Act to further incentivize and fast-track large-scale solar, wind, and energy energy storage system priojects as a primary pillar of Philippine energy policy,” a part of the document reads.