Iloilo forum probes West Asia conflict fallout

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By Juliane Judilla

A public forum on global crises and rising tensions in West Asia was held April 18 at the University of the Philippines Visayas in Iloilo City, bringing together advocacy groups and sectoral representatives to discuss the roots and effects of ongoing geopolitical conflicts.

The event was organized by the All UP Academic Employees Union–Iloilo, Movement Against Tyranny–Panay and Panay Consumers Alliance.

Participants came from the academe, religious institutions and grassroots communities.

Discussions focused on what organizers described as worsening threats to civil, political and economic rights, particularly among marginalized sectors.

Speakers also cited the United States’ actions against Iran as a key example of present-day conflict, placing them within broader debates over global power relations and militarization.

International criminal lawyer Angelo Karlo Guillen of the National Union of People’s Lawyers outlined what he described as war-mongering tactics used to maintain geopolitical dominance.

He said armed conflict continues to be used as a strategic instrument to preserve hegemony, shape international relations and influence economic systems.

Xandra Liza C. Bisenio of IBON Foundation discussed the economic fallout of geopolitical tensions, including inflation, supply-chain disruptions and widening inequality in countries such as the Philippines.

The forum also sought to challenge dominant narratives about international conflicts by linking them to structural issues such as neoliberal economic policies and unequal global power relations.

The discussion took place amid elevated tensions in West Asia, with organizers and speakers pointing to possible effects on fuel prices, trade flows and economic stability in import-dependent countries such as the Philippines.