DOMINANT ANGLE
Manila is closely watching the risks to global oil supplies and the safety of its citizens in the Gulf, as the Houthi offensive threatens the energy routes the archipelago depends on.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
A diplomat cited by Rappler claims that the Houthists have assembled around 100,000 fighters without being detected: "Everyone, including the Saudis, missed this buildup."
- 02
According to traders cited by GMA News, a prolonged closure of the Saudi East-West oil pipeline could deprive the global market of up to 4% of oil supply, with Brent remaining high.
- 03
Rappler reveals that US officials met with Houthi representatives in Muscat on September 13, the latter ensuring they want to respect the 2025 ceasefire and spare American and Israeli ships.
ANALYSIS
Manille, September 19, 2026. From the Philippines, the Houthi breakthrough on the Red Sea is first seen through the prism of the energy bill. According to Rappler, the capture by Yemeni rebels, supported by Iran, of positions overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait constitutes "the most serious setback suffered by Saudi Arabia in Yemen in years", revealing intelligence failures, the collapse of Yemeni allies of Riyadh, and the limits of American protection. A diplomat quoted by the media claims that the Houthi rebels have assembled around 100,000 fighters discreetly: "Everyone, including the Saudis, missed this buildup and underestimated the Houthi intentions." Neil Quilliam, from the British think tank Chatham House, speaks of a "flagrant intelligence failure": "They were not picking up the signal. They were not seeing the signs."
GMA News, citing Donald Trump, reports that the American president hopes for an end to the war against Iran, which has entered its seventh month, as fighting spreads with Saudi airstrikes in Yemen and Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi cities. The attack on the Saudi East-West oil pipeline aggravates, according to the media, the threat to global energy supply, already disrupted by tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the conflict. Traders estimate that a prolonged closure of the oil pipeline could cut up to 4% of global oil supply, while the Brent barrel remains high. Washington has also tightened its warning to travelers, prohibiting its government employees from approaching within 30 km of the Yemeni border.
Rappler also reveals that American officials met with Houthi representatives in Muscat on the weekend of September 13, according to five sources. The Houthi rebels, classified as a "foreign terrorist organization" by the Trump administration since March 2025, have assured that they want to respect the 2025 ceasefire and not target American or Israeli ships. The same article notes that Riyadh has requested American military support, which Washington has refused, while maintaining a direct negotiation channel with the movement.
