Hundreds of transport workers in the Philippines’ capital Manila have gone on strike over rising fuel costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diesel and petrol prices have more than doubled since the Iran war broke out on 28 February – with the Philippines now in a state of national energy emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One 62-year-old driver in Manila told the BBC the situation was getting increasingly desperate, saying he had no food to support his five children and had not received any cash aid from the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the two-day strike started on Thursday a ship carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil arrived in the country. President Ferdinand Marcos’ spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Press Secretary Claire Castro told reporters that the Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky arrived earlier this week with the crude shipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marcos had promised to look for new sources of oil as the country had been relying on supplies that pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 98% of its requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The transport coalitions leading the strike have laid out sweeping demands – from scrapping fuel taxes and rolling back oil prices, to abandoning deregulation and introducing state controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are also pushing for fare increases and higher wages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Groups of protesters gathered in different areas across the capital on Thursday morning, holding signs and calling for the government to do more to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of them were drivers of jeepneys – mini-buses known for their cheap fares. Motorcycle and car ride-hailing drivers were also among those who earlier said they would join protests, according to local reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some said they had not received the payout of 5,000 pesos ($83) that the Department of Social Welfare and Development had said certain drivers would be eligible for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I lined up for more than five hours yesterday for the cash aid from the government, but my name was not there,” said 62-year-old Guillermo Japole, adding that he had received “no cash aid, no earnings, no food for the family”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These protests respond to the effects of the imperialist war in Iran, led by the United States and the colonialist state of Israel. Workers and youth in the Philippines have already risen up against the Marcos government in December 2025, expressing dissatisfaction with corruption in public works (especially flood control projects), rising fuel prices, low wages, and opposition to foreign policy. A policy of class independence in the country is essential to confront the reactionary government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the capitalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Hundreds of transport workers in the Philippines’ capital Manila have gone on strike over rising fuel costs. Diesel and petrol prices have more than doubled since the Iran war broke out on 28 February – with the Philippines now in a state of national energy emergency. One 62-year-old driver in Manila told the BBC the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"crp_sub_category":"Phillipines","crp_read_time":"","crp_featured":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,54],"tags":[42,23,55],"coauthors":[80],"class_list":["post-154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-asia","category-philippines","tag-asia-pacific","tag-labor","tag-phillipines"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n