Pathetic response

Pathetic response | Daily Tribune

Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) strongly supported the previous administration, but that support has waned due to the current government’s absence during the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

While OFWs received prompt diplomatic attention in the past, critical support during crises is now noticeably lacking.

Direction is not being given as the Palace, for instance, highlighted more the opening of classes and the Brigada Eskwela refurbishing of schools rather than locating the more than 30,000 Filipino migrants in Israel.

The situation got worse as, instead of the government assisting OFWs caught in the conflict, 21 Filipino officials were stranded in Israel and had to be rescued.

Nine mayors, four vice mayors, two partylist representatives, and two regional directors are stuck in Israel. Four Department of Agriculture officials are also with them.

Another anomaly is the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) refused to identify the officials “out of respect for their privacy.”

This is in contrast to the committed responses of representatives of other foreign missions who had laid out evacuation plans for their citizens.

Israel closed its airports and airspace after Iran conducted air raids, stranding the Filipino local executives.

The Philippine government, thus, will have to devote attention to the vacationing functionaries and bring them to Jordan from where they could fly back to the Philippines.

The response to a possible oil price shock is almost non-existent, aside from the Department of Energy’s call for oil companies to hold back on significant price increases.

The cost of fuel is also apparently being gamed after a remarkable drop in prices despite the Middle East crisis.

The wild swing in oil prices, no thanks to US President Donald Trump’s taunting of Iran, raises suspicions of market manipulation.

Small nations that heavily rely on fuel imports are particularly vulnerable in the current situation, where one missile can trigger two or more in response.

The conflict is pushing the world dangerously to the brink of an all-out skirmish unseen since World War II.

The expectation that oil prices would “hit the roof” stems from the Middle East’s critical role in the global oil supply, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz which facilitates about 20 percent of the global oil trade.

Iran’s oil production, at approximately 3.3 million barrels per day or three percent of the global output, and its influence in the Strait makes it a pivotal player in the international oil market.

Recent Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, followed by Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks, initially drove Brent crude prices up, peaking at $78 per barrel on 13 June, the highest in five months. Prices have fluctuated, however, settling around $72 to $74 per barrel by 17 June, defying predictions of a sustained spike.

The initial price upsurge was partly driven by a “large inflow of speculative cash” pushing prices into overbought territory.

When reports indicated on 17 June that Iran was seeking a ceasefire, prices dropped by $1 per barrel as speculators liquidated positions.

The volatility suggests that short-term price movements are influenced more by trader sentiment than by actual supply disruptions.

In social media posts, Trump appeared to demand Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” while hinting at a possible US intervention to assist Israel.

The rapidly evolving Middle East crisis caught most officials, including those in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli embassy, unprepared, leading them to prioritize their safety over assisting stranded OFWs.