<p><strong>US President Donald Trump announced he paused a planned US military strike on Iran to allow negotiations over Iran’s peace proposal,</strong> while warning that a full-scale assault could follow if no acceptable deal is reached.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>According to a Reuters poll,</strong> a slim majority of economists expect Bank Indonesia to raise its benchmark interest rate on May 20, 2026, from the current 4.75% to 5.0%, in response to the weakening rupiah and inflationary pressures. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The International Labour Organization (ILO) warned that the Philippines is among the most vulnerable economies to the Gulf labor slowdown,</strong> as thousands have been repatriated, deployments plunged nearly 80%, and remittances are weakening.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The Department of Energy warned on Monday that El Niño will trigger more grid alerts this year, </strong>raising risks of brownouts and higher power costs.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The Philippine peso fell to a new record low of PHP 61.75 per dollar </strong>as the Strait of Hormuz’s closure amid the US-Iran standoff pushed oil prices higher and boosted demand for the US currency.&nbsp;</p>