Fuel protests sweep Manila as energy crisis deepens

Hundreds of protesters marched through Manila on Friday to voice their anger over surging fuel prices, as the Philippines continues to grapple with an energy crisis triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The demonstration is part of a two-day nationwide strike organised by the country’s transport unions. Since the start of the war, diesel and petrol prices have more than doubled, placing severe strain on ordinary families.

“My earnings of 500 pesos ($8.28) a day now goes mostly to my children’s school allowance. That’s not enough for food on the table,” said jeepney driver Michael Llabore, a father of five. “The president needs to address why they let the oil companies increase their prices almost every day.”

Protesters planned to march toward the Presidential Palace, where authorities set up barricades and deployed a heavy police presence to manage the demonstrations.

Earlier this week, the Philippines became the first country in the world to declare a state of emergency over the energy shortages. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned of an “imminent danger” to the “availability and stability of the country’s energy supply.”

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the nation had only 40–45 days’ worth of petroleum supply remaining. She also outlined the “cascading effects” of rising energy costs on the economy and said measures were being taken, including fuel subsidies, initiatives to reduce transport costs, and action against hoarding, profiteering, and manipulation of petroleum supplies.

Jeepney drivers and other public transport operators have been particularly hard hit. Allan Las Pinas, 46, a jeepney driver, said the surge in fuel costs had significantly reduced his daily income.

“Before, I could give part of my earnings every day to my kids, but now I ask them to be patient because I can’t anymore,” he said. “Because I earn less now, my earnings go to food. So they don’t have their school allowance now.”

The Philippines imports approximately 98% of its oil from the Middle East, making the country—and much of Asia—extremely vulnerable to supply disruptions amid the conflict.

By Tamilla Hasanova