Philippines Faces Energy Crisis With Closure of the Strait of Hormuz

NEWS / Analysis

Philippines Faces Energy Crisis With Closure of the Strait of Hormuz

By Breaking News May 19, 2026, 2:54 a.m. ET

Schneider Electric’s observations are closer to the day-to-day pain points of real-economy sectors such as energy, industry, data centers, and infrastructure. Xiong Yi breaks corporate anxiety down into a dual shock from technology and macro-level costs. From a technology deployment perspective, the fixed processes that used to underpin digital transformation have become hard to match with today’s pace of iteration. An enterprise-grade AI project typically takes 1.5 to 2 years from planning to rollout, and the rapid evolution of AI has companies worried that what they invest in may become outdated before it delivers benefits—making ROI assessment a major challenge.

NextFin News -- The early morning calm in the Philippines' capital Manila on Thursday was shattered by the sounds of protest. Outside his home, Wang Xiao, a cross-border e-commerce businessman, heard the rising chants of jeepney drivers rallying in the streets, demanding the government address skyrocketing fuel prices that have doubled since the late February outbreak of tensions in the Middle East. As the conflict between the U.S./Israel and Iran escalates in the region, its ripple effects are beginning to reverberate throughout Asia, and the Philippines is bearing the brunt of the energy crisis.