DOMINANT ANGLE
Manila is first feeling the weight of the bill: the closure of the Saudi East-West oil pipeline and the barrel exceeding $100 again threaten a country that imports almost all of its oil.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Saudi East-West oil pipeline, 1,200 km long, was transporting 4 to 5 million barrels per day (4 to 5% of global supply) before its closure
- 02
The price of a barrel has risen back above $100 after drone attacks and the combined closure and blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
- 03
Yemeni government sources cited by Reuters claim that the Houthis have taken control of Perim Island, at the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
ANALYSIS
Manille, September 13, 2026. The shutdown of the Saudi East-West oil pipeline, announced on Saturday after drone attacks from Iraq, resonates in the Philippines as an economic warning signal more than a military one. The 1,200-kilometer pipeline, which connects Abqaiq to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, was transporting between 4 and 5 million barrels per day in recent months, or 4 to 5% of the world's supply, according to data cited by GMA News. Its shutdown, combined with the persistent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, has driven crude oil prices back above $100 per barrel, a level that local media is closely watching as the archipelago relies heavily on imports to cover most of its energy needs.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy presented the shutdown as a precautionary measure after an attack that injured people in the Riyadh and Medina regions, according to the Inquirer. Riyadh chose not to retaliate immediately, at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister, while reserving "the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security, facilities, and inhabitants." Baghdad, on the other hand, fired a military commander in response to the attack.
The situation is compounded by tension in the Red Sea: Yemeni government sources cited by Reuters claim that Houthi rebels seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday, at the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. GMA News notes that this dual push, on the pipeline and the island, could mark a dangerous escalation as diplomatic efforts to end the regional war remain stalled. Riyadh has also reportedly requested military aid from Washington against the Houthis, a surge in fuel prices that already weighs on the US president's political credit ahead of the elections.
For Manila, the immediate stake remains the volatility of the barrel and its potential impact on fuel and transportation prices in the archipelago, without any element of the available dispatches detailing local measures yet.
