Fuel supply issues shut more than 300 gas stationsMotorists line up at a gasoline station along United Nations avenue on March 9, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — Fuel supply disruptions have begun to affect retail operations, with hundreds of gas stations temporarily shutting down across the country due to delayed or insufficient deliveries. As of Monday, March 30, Philippine National Police units reported 365 gas stations closed nationwide, slightly down from 369 on March 29. Police said 12 stations closed on Monday due to supply shortages, while eight resumed operations after restocking. The PNP also reported seven cases filed against gas stations for alleged violations, including hoarding, overpricing and trademark infringement.

Philippines interests safeguarded in oil exploration with China – PalaceThe Philippines is ready with two joint oil and gas exploration agreements to be signed with China. MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos administration will continue to safeguard the country’s rights in the West Philippine Sea, a Malacañang official assured Filipinos yesterday, as Manila and Beijing opened “initial exchanges” on potential offshore oil and gas exploration. The Philippines and China convened back-to-back the 24th Foreign Ministry Consultations and the 11th Meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea on March 27 and 28 in Quanzhou City, in China’s Fujian province. The Chinese embassy in Manila earlier said China’s “door to dialogue” on joint oil and gas development in the South China Sea remains open, but the Philippines must first “demonstrate sincerity” before negotiations can resume. China is claiming almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring the 2016 arbitral award that is based on international law.

‘The greatest act of love is enduring for others’MANILA, Philippines — At the start of Holy Week, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula reminded Catholics that the greatest act of love is enduring for others. But the cross offers a different wisdom – letting go and trusting God can transform even suffering into something redemptive and life-giving. The greatest act of love in human history is not an action, but a surrender,” said Advincula, CBCPNews reported. Advincula said the faithful should embrace both the solemnity of Christ’s suffering and the hope rooted in trusting God. “Holy Week reminds us of sacrifice, forgiveness and hope – lessons that guide us as people and as one nation.”

Philippines secures 2.48 million barrels of Russian oilA fisherman paddles before the Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky, which is carrying crude oil from Russia, anchored at Limay port, Bataan province on March 26, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — Petron Corp., the Philippines’ only oil refiner, has procured 2.48 million barrels of Russian crude, with more orders from Moscow likely amid ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. “Acting out of extreme necessity and considering the abrupt cut in supply, the corporation was thus constrained to procure Russian crude oil, which at that time was available and the only viable crude,” Petron said in a statement yesterday. A second shipment of two million barrels was later canceled on March 7 due to increased risks in the strait and the Red Sea. “Based on these engagements, the corporation’s understanding was that there were likewise no domestic legal prohibitions on the importation of Russian crude oil,” Petron said.

Marcos orders government offices: Reduce power, fuel useMANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has directed all government agencies to strictly implement his order to sharply reduce power and fuel consumption, as the country grapples with rising oil prices spurred by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Fuel consumption is also being tightly controlled, with most government vehicles ordered off the road. The Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee earlier issued an advisory enjoining all national government agencies, GOCCs, SUCs and LGUs to reduce fuel consumption by at least 10 percent. “What this tells us is clear: we have a supply.”Inventory for gasoline could last 59.78 days, diesel for 46.93 days, kerosene 107.88 days, jet fuel 62.69 days, fuel oil 57.27 days and liquified petroleum gas (34.02 days). DOE Undersecretary Alessandro Sales said Petron has committed about 19 percent of its crude oil supply to be processed into LPG.

P30 million campaign donation: SC to review plea vs ChizMANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court will review the Commission on Elections (Comelec)’s decision clearing Sen. Francis Escudero for accepting a P30-million campaign donation from a government contractor. High school teacher John Barry Tayam had asked the high court to review the poll body’s ruling. Tayam argued that con tractor Lawrence Lubiano and Centerways Construction and Development are the same since Lubiano is majority owner of the company. The Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department had ruled that Lubiano and Centerways are “distinct legal entities.”Lubiano was Escudero’s top campaign donor in 2022.

Point-to-point carpooling in MetroManila eyedMetropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Don Artes and General Manager Nicolas Torre III meet with Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Vigor Mendoza II and representatives from public utility vehicle (PUV) companies to discuss draft guidelines for a proposed carpooling program. MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday proposed a point-to-point and time-restricted carpooling after the Lenten break. Carpooling vehicles will operate at designated origin and destination points, Artes said. “They are not allowed to operate like a public transport vehicle that picks up passengers along the way. Special permits for carpooling vehicles will be issued next week.

The oil withheld from the global market today is twice the volume of oil held hostage by producers in previous oil crises. The 400 million barrels of oil released from the global petroleum reserve to help stabilize prices will run out by mid-April. Food costsThe oil crisis is compounded by the looming peril of a food crisis. Instead of investing in improving our food production, we depended on importing the food we need. But it is certainly not too late for government to take decisive steps to protect food supply while ensuring nutritional adequacy.

At the 2024 Olympics, 15 of the 22 athletes who represented the Philippines were women. Of the three Philippine medalists, two were women, boxers Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio who brought home a bronze each. 19 Colombia, 74-59, at the World Cup qualifiers in France to climb from No. “The reality we often don’t say out loud is that women work twice as hard for half the recognition,” said PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio. Women athletes and women sports leaders are symbols of possibility and agents of mobility.

Ota sets Asian sprint record, bags goldTAGAYTAY, Philippines — Japan’s Kaiya Ota earned his niche in the Tagaytay CT Velodrome by setting a new Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) Track Cycling Championships elite men sprint record in the qualifying round before eventually winning the gold medal with relative ease. Ota clocked 9.348 seconds in Sunday’s qualifiers to smash the previous Asian mark of 9.350 seconds he himself set at the Paris Olympics in August 2024. The two-time Asian Games gold medalist went on to win gold but was unable to submit a better time at 9.575 seconds, but good enough to deny China’s Li Zhiwei (9.926) an upset ride. Ota’s fellow Japanese Olympians also stamped their class in elite men and women Madison in the championships hosted by the PhilCycling and Tagaytay City and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, MVP Sports Foundation, Sports Plus PH, Toyota and Peak. Eiya Hashimoto and Kazushige Kuboki produced a masterful performance in winning the elite men Madison gold with 104 points – Kazakhstan’s Ilya Karabutov and Ramis Dinmukhametov settled for the silver medal with 82 points and Hong Kong’s Tsu Wai Chu and Kai Kwong Tso completed the podium with 65 points.

Sinner powers way to ‘Sunshine Double’Jannik Sinner of Italy is all smiles after his straight-sets victory over Learner Tien of the United States in their quarterfinal match in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 to win the ATP Miami Masters 1000 for a second time on Sunday, adding the title to his Indian Wells crown. In fact, Sinner – who won Miami in 2024 but missed last year as he served a three-month doping ban – has now won three straight Masters 1000 events, starting with a victory in Paris last year. “It’s a very, very special moment,” Sinner said. “Coming here, performing again in a very good way after Indian Wells means a lot to me.

BYD (1211) is "highly confident" of reaching its 2026 overseas sales target of 1.5 million vehicles or even higher, the ​company told analysts during its post-earnings call on Monday. BYD said in January that its export target for ​this year would be 1.3 million vehicles, down from ⁠as much as 1.6 million units its management told Citi in ​November. Overseas sales as a share of the total more than doubled ​to 22.7 percent last year and more than doubled again to 50 percent in January-February. BYD on Friday reported a bigger-than-expected profit drop for 2025, as price wars at ​home hurt its profits, heading into another tough year due ​to intensifying competition and softer domestic demand. BYD said it did ​not want to compete through price wars and ​instead aimed ⁠to focus on technology and innovation with continuous R&D spending, the two sources said.

A Hong Kong woman, who identified herself as a brand designer for the late Queen Elizabeth II and Donald Trump, had her High Court writ seeking more than HK$100 trillion for alleged unpaid wages and inheritance summarily dismissed by a master. ADVERTISEMENT SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENTThe plaintiff, Isabella Yung, filed a self-penned lawsuit against the late Queen Elizabeth II, former US President Donald Trump, and the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. She appeared in court herself, claiming to be a world-renowned designer who had worked for decades for the Queen. During the hearing, Yung presented a biography of Queen Elizabeth II, asserting that she was one of the designers mentioned and was the Queen's only Hong Kong-based designer, having served her for decades as a key aide. Yung sought over HK$100 trillion, which included HK$1.2 billion in unpaid wages for six years of work, trillions in copyright fees and shop rentals, profits from hotels and eight shopping malls, and HK$905.6 billion in inheritance from 25 wills.

Fishing boats have sat idle since fuel price spikesMembers of fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA in Cavite docked their fishing boats and temporarily suspended their fishing trips for a day to hold a “tigil-palaot” protest against the government’s “inadequate response” to the oil price shock, March 30, 2026. PAMALAKAYA chairperson Fernando Hicap said in a March 18 statement that production costs have jumped 60% per fishing trip. "Our fishing boats are docked for almost a month now because we can no longer afford the skyrocketing price of diesel. Some fisherfolk have temporarily left fishing and shifted to odd jobs including construction work," Richard Catenza, PAMALAKAYA-Cavite president, said in the statement. Before the crisis, PAMALAKAYA said a small fisher working Manila Bay spent about P560 on diesel per trip.

IRAN DEFIANTIranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had received messages via intermediaries indicating Washington's willingness to negotiate. But Baghaei, criticising the U.S. proposals, told a press conference on Monday: "Our position is clear. Trump has cited preventing Iran obtaining nuclear weapons as one of the reasons for attacking Iran on February 28. U.S.-based rights group HRANA says nearly 3,500 people have been killed in Iran, including 1,550 civilians, while authorities in Lebanon say nearly 1,240 people have been killed there. At least 100 people have been killed in Iraq and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.