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Filipino lawmakers slam Trump’s Hormuz strait blockade plan, warn of reckless escalation
“We warn that oil markets will treat any blockade posture and renewed tension in the Strait of Hormuz as justification to jack up prices again,” the legislators said
- PUBLISHED: Mon 13 Apr 2026, 12:22 PM UPDATED: Mon 13 Apr 2026, 7:30 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]
Filipino activist lawmakers denounced US President Donald Trump’s order to blockade the already Iranian-barricaded Strait of Hormuz as efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East failed.
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Members of the Makabayan (Patriotic) Coalition of progressive lawmakers condemned Trump’s announcement that the US Navy will begin its blockade after negotiations with Iran failed to produce a de-escalation agreement.
Trump said the American navy shall also “hunt down” ships in international waters that have paid “extortion fees” to Iran. He said US forces will also begin clearing Iranian mines in the strait.
ACT Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co warned that Trump’s threat could only result in worsening the war and economic inflation throughout the world, including the Philippines.
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“This reckless escalation risks reigniting hostilities, undermining the fragile two-week truce, and keeping the world hostage to military coercion,” said the Makabayan bloc, underscoring: “We warn that oil markets will treat any blockade posture and renewed tension in the Strait of Hormuz as justification to jack up prices again. Any announced rollback in domestic pump prices may be short-lived, especially if new geopolitical shocks are deliberately manufactured."
Tinio, Elago and Co pointed out ordinary citizens will suffer more and should not be made to absorb another wave of price surges due to the failure of the talks in Islamabad.
The Filipino lawmakers likewise assailed oil companies in the Philippines that refused to reduce profits throughout 39-day conflict. All fuel retailers in the Philippines increased pump prices except one small company, Gazz, that reduced prices by P5 per liter of petrol and diesel.
“Every ‘crisis’ becomes a profit window for oil companies and traders, while workers, commuters, drivers, and poor communities endure higher transport costs, higher food prices, higher electricity rates, and deeper hardship,” the legislators said.