Transport strike ends, with excise tax removal in limboVarious groups protest the continued increase in fuel prices, in Mendiola, Manila yesterday. MANILA, Philippines — The second week of the transport strike ended yesterday with one of their calls – to remove excise tax on petroleum products – still in limbo. However, the possible suspension or reduction of excise tax is not expected until mid-April. “It is demoralizing if that is the response of the government, that they cannot do so much in times that fuel prices are rising. Floranda stressed the need for concrete solutions, including the removal of excise tax and the 12-percent value-added tax, as well as oil price rollbacks to P55 and the nationalization of the oil industry.

Government earmarks P230 billion for Mideast crisis responseSmoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 5, 2026. In an interview yesterday with radio dzBB, Toledo said that around P200 billion is drawn from the 2026 budget, while P10.9 billion comes from continuing appropriations under the 2025 budget. The P20 billion from automatic appropriations has already been released to the Department of Energy to beef up the country’s fuel supply. The Department of Migrant Workers is set to disburse P2 billion in aid for overseas Filipino workers. He criticized the importation of onions despite the harvest season and the energy crisis, lamenting the failure to fully implement the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage law against smugglers.

Softer oil price hikes seen next weekFew jeepneys ply along España Boulevard in Manila during the second day of the transport strike on March 27, 2026 leaving commuters with limited public transportation options. MANILA, Philippines — Motorists may see a modest rise in gasoline prices next week, but diesel remains on track for another double-digit spike amid the global oil crisis. After four days of trading on the Mean of Platts Singapore, an industry source indicated a potential price increase of up to P3 per liter for gasoline. Diesel prices, meanwhile, are likely to see a steeper increase, potentially rising by P11 to P12 per liter. This threatens to push the price of regular diesel above P140 per liter and premium diesel beyond P150 per liter.

ADVERTISEMENT SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENTThe UAE is trying to push dozens of countries to create a Hormuz Security Force to defend the strait from Iranian attacks and escort shipping, the report added. Several U.S. allies have said they have no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a Trump request for military support to keep the vital waterway open. Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas, spiking energy prices and fuelling global inflation fears. Last week, a senior Emirati official said UAE may join a U.S.-led effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran all but shut the waterway to ships. The waterway is vital to the economy of the UAE, a major oil exporter and trade hub.

President Ferdinand Marcos said Friday that an ASEAN summit the Philippines will host in May will be a streamlined affair, with a focus on how best to handle the economic shocks of the Mideast war. Marcos said he had consulted with other ASEAN members about the idea of postponing the summit in the face of an energy crisis that has struck the region hard before determining to press forward. "It is a bare bones ASEAN Summit... We will be talking about three main subjects -- about the supply of petroleum and petroleum products, about the supply ... and the price of food, and migrant workers," Marcos said. Marcos declared on Tuesday a state of "national energy emergency", citing risks to the Philippines' domestic fuel supply created by the war. The war has also affected millions of guest workers from ASEAN states who are living in countries caught in the crossfire.

142,000 barrels: First state-procured diesel arrives in LuzonA vessel containing 142,000 barrels or 22.57 liters of diesel procured by the government as seen in a Deparmtent of Energy-released image on Thursday, March 26, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has received its first government-procured diesel shipment, totaling 22.58 million liters, as the Marcos administration moves to boost fuel supply amid global oil volatility. The Department of Energy (DOE) said the cargo, equivalent to about 142,000 barrels, forms part of efforts to stabilize supply under the Emergency Energy Security Program. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the shipment is part of a broader plan to secure up to 2 million barrels of additional fuel supply. (The DOE continues to focus on increasing the country's oil supply.)

+ 1A light goods van lost control while navigating a right turn on Lai Chi Kok Road towards Kwai Chung near The Pacifica on Friday, and climbed over a flowerbed curb under an overpass, coming to rest perched on the barrier. ADVERTISEMENT SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENTThe dashcam footage showed the van bouncing onto the elevated curb and stopping firmly in place. The driver emerged unharmed and drove away after the incident. Online reactions ranged from relief at the narrow escape to criticism of the driver's skills and concerns it could have slid onto the pedestrian path.

Gunmen behind P3.2-million heist in Cotabato City arrestedThe three robbers who carried out a daring daytime heist in a Cotabato City residential area on March 26, 2026, are now in the custody of the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. COTABATO CITY —Policemen promptly arrested three robbers who stole P3.2 million worth of gold jewelry and cash at gunpoint from a Moro family in a daring heist in Barangay Bagua 2, Cotabato City, on Thursday afternoon, March 26. The gunmen, Johari Datumanong Mohammad, 27; Solaiman Guiamalon Abdullah, 33; and 26-year-old Khalid Kusain Tunggal, were together in their getaway car, a dark brown Toyota Vios, when they were intercepted by policemen in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Maguindanao del Norte, 39 kilometers south of Cotabato City. Gen. Jaysen De Guzman, director of the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, told reporters on Friday that the suspects, armed with pistols, barged into the house of Hadja Naima Tayuan in Tanghal Subdivision, Barangay Bagua 2, Cotabato City. They took gold jewelry and cash hidden in one of the rooms and fled in their car, bearing license plates LAR 2650, which was parked outside.

Moro villagers surrender 17 more combat weapons to ArmyLocal officials and Army officials inspect the firearms surrendered by residents of Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Sur on March 26, 2026. The combat weapons were surrendered by two former enemy groups that recently reconciled through the joint efforts of local executives, officials from the Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office, the Army’s 34th and 38th Infantry Battalions, and Brig. Cagara said that Lt. Col. Edgardo Batinay, commanding officer of the 34th Infantry Battalion, and his counterpart in the 38th Infantry Battalion, Lt. Col. Erwin Felongco, were both instrumental in facilitating the voluntary turnover of the combat weapons by Mamasapano residents through backchannel dialogues. These were voluntarily surrendered by owners in recognition of the SALW Management Program. The SALW Management Program is designed to support Malacañang’s peace initiatives with southern Moro communities.

India became a major buyer of Russian crude that was heavily discounted after the invasion of Ukraine, which became a point of contention with the Trump administration. India has separately told its energy importers to get ready to resume purchases of Russian LNG, one of the people said. The Russian energy ministry declined to comment about any discussions with India, while the U.S. Treasury Department did not address questions about sanctions relief. Tehran's retaliation included targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively shutting down the narrow strip through which about half of India's crude oil and LNG supplies pass. Demand for Russian energy exports, which when transported to Asian customers avoid the Gulf, has sharply increased across the region's economies.

Philippines, France sign Visiting Forces Agreement in ParisPhilippine Secretary of National Defense M. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and French Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans, Ms. Catherine Vautrin met for a bilateral meeting in Paris, during the landmark visit to France by the Philippines’ Defense Secretary, March 26, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and France signed a Visiting Forces Agreement on Thursday, March 26, making France the first European country to secure such a defense pact with Manila. Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro Jr. and French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin signed the agreement during a bilateral meeting at the École Militaire in Paris — Teodoro's first visit to France as defense chief. The agreement, formally called the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, provides the framework for Filipino and French military personnel to conduct joint activities and have greater cooperation in training, exercises and other operations. Three of those deals — with Japan, New Zealand and Canada — were concluded under the Marcos administration and the France agreement now makes it four.

ASEAN Summit scales down, focuses on oil, food, migrant workersMANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, March 27, announced that the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit will be “bare bones” amid the fuel crisis caused by the tensions in the Middle East—with focus primarily being on oil, food, and migrant workers. Those will be the three subject matters that we will be taking up in the ASEAN Summit,” the president added. The ASEAN Summit in November, where leaders from major players like China, Japan, the United States and more, is still likely to push through, Marcos said. The P22 billion budget for the ASEAN Summit has also been slashed and redirected to those who are affected by the oil crisis, the president said when asked. The majority of the Philippines’ fuel is imported, making it vulnerable to external shocks such as the US-Israel War on Iran.

LONDON, United Kingdom — Since the start of the Middle East conflict, Iran has witnessed massive cryptocurrency flows. Regime implicatedAccording to Chainalysis, several digital wallets used during this surge in cryptocurrency activity are directly linked to the Revolutionary Guards. The Financial Times earlier this year reported that Iran offered ballistic missiles, drones and other advanced weapons systems for sale using cryptocurrencies. 'Lifeline'The Revolutionary Guards and Iranian central bank favour "stablecoins" -- digital currencies generally pegged to the dollar in a bid to avoid volatility. This strategy was already widely evident during brutally suppressed protests in Iran ahead of the war, according to Chainalysis.

Duterte camp calls Madriaga's death threat claim vs Teves 'comical'MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte's legal counsel has dismissed as fabricated the latest claim by detained witness Ramil Madriaga that former Congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. wants him killed. InteriorSecretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed in December that Duterte did visit the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, but said she met with Teves, not Madriaga. He called the House justice committee's acceptance of Madriaga's claims proof that the panel is "willing to entertain fabrications in pursuit of a politically motivated agenda." What Madriaga is allegingMadriaga's claim was raised during the House justice panel's first hearing on the impeachment case against Duterte on Wednesday, March 25. The House Justice Committee subpoenaed Madriaga and his affidavit on Wednesday.

Hornets sting Knicks to maintain playoff pushCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 26: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks fouls Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets in the second half during their game at Spectrum Center on March 26, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. LOS ANGELES, United States — Kon Knueppel scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets maintained their late-season charge for an NBA playoff berth with an emphatic 114-103 defeat of the high-flying New York Knicks on Thursday (Friday, Manila time). LaMelo Ball finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, one of five Charlotte players to finish in double digits. With sixth-placed Toronto occupying the last automatic playoff spot at 40-32, Charlotte are part of a cluster of teams jostling for position just below them.