Philippines Pursues China Energy Deal Amid Middle East War Pressure
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that the Philippines is making tangible progress on potential joint energy exploration with China in the West Philippine Sea. Marcos cited the recent outbreak of war in the Middle East as the primary catalyst, which has caused domestic fuel prices to soar and reduced annual growth to 2.3%. The administration declared a national energy emergency to expedite talks for gas extraction at Reed Bank, attempting to decouple economic necessity from territorial sovereignty disputes.