ICYMI: PH-US drills to continue, Think Tank shoots down PH-China oil and energy joint venture proposal
Plus, API's resident security expert Ret. Col. Dencio Acop and EIC Manuel Mogato share their thoughts on the US-Iran conflict in their latest columns.
Hello readers,
Happy Easter!
It is now over a month since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian officials. Despite President Donald J. Trump and his officials struggling to end the conflict, the whole world received a temporary reprieve with a two-week ceasefire announced today, April 8, 2026.
Security expert Ret. Col. Dencio Acop, in his latest column, writes that the US is in for a lengthy, expensive campaign as Iran’s own forces are not afraid of martyrdom. API’s editor-in-chief Manuel Mogato, meanwhile, writes that maybe it’s time for the Philippines to consider and pursue policies that do not rely on the United States.
As the US-Iran conflict drags on, the Philippines’ fears of its ally withdrawing support to focus on the Middle East are put to rest. Some 8,000 ground troops from the Philippines, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States are participating in the two-week Salaknib drills in parts of Luzon. At the same time, the Cope Thunder exercises for air defense and air logistics handling also commenced in Clark Air Base, Pampanga.
Some 2,000 to 2,500 US Marines have already arrived ahead of the Balikatan exercises scheduled to start on April 20. It’s the biggest Balikatan exercises to date, in terms of numbers of participants and intensity of the exercises, says Armed Forces chief of staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr.
Still, the Marcos administration continues to struggle to arrest fears of running out of fuel, despite Iran saying it will allow passage of Philippine-bound oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
Not all options should be considered, though. Independent think tank Stratbase Institute, in a statement, cautioned the Marcos government against pursuing the proposal of a Philippines-China joint oil and energy exploration venture.
Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, president of Stratbase Institute, says: “No crisis should be used to justify compromising the Philippines’ legal position or ignoring the lived realities of Filipino fisherfolk and frontliners who continue to bear the consequences of China’s actions in the WPS.”
What do you think about the latest developments in Iran? Should the Philippines continue its dependence on the United States for protection especially in the West Philippine Sea?
Let us know in the comments!