Press Statement
March 27, 2026

As the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to impact oil and fuel prices in the Philippines and across the world, working Filipinos are facing the brunt of the impact. The fuel price increase has particularly affected transportation workers, who have responded by asserting their demands to the Marcos Jr regime through a series of strikes in the past week.

Following the price of diesel going up to P134.30 (USD2.22) per litre on March 24, the “No to Oil Price Hike” Coalition, led by Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON-KMU), spearheaded a second 2-day transportation strike, on March 26-27. This second strike was more broadly based than the first, and the coalition sharpened its demands.

Manibela, “Steering Wheel” (Federation of Drivers, Commuters, and United Transportation Terminals), members of the University of the Philippines community, and other groups also joined the protests. Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena said more than 20 strike centers were staging protests across Metro Manila and other major cities in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, involving jeepney, bus, transportation network vehicle services (TNVS) and motorcycle taxi drivers, along with commuter groups and other sectors.

The Marcos Jr government had made no substantial response to their demands to rein in the cost of fuel and to increase jeepney fares and to increase the minimum wage. Instead, Marcos Jr declared a National Energy Emergency, and the government made a first payment to drivers P5,000 (USD82.86) to subsidise their fuel costs. But this only covers increased fuel costs for less than two days. The emergency declaration empowers the President to cut the price of fuel, but he has not done so.

The Coalition urged the government to reduce fuel prices to P55 (USD0.91) per liter, scrap the value-added tax and excise taxes on petroleum, increase jeepney fares by P5 (USD0.08) and repeal the Oil Deregulation Law, which they blame for unchecked price increases. They are demanding stronger action to end the US and Israeli war against Iran and Lebanon, and for a national minimum wage of P1,200 (USD19.88) per day.

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III coordinated free ride buses, but these will only be activated if passengers are stranded.

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) upholds the right of the transport workers to protest against the impossible increase in fuel costs that they are expected to bear by the government, especially when their demands are in the interests of the whole Filipino society.

After one month of the US and Israeli war on Iran and Lebanon, not only is there a fuel price shock, but now there is a genuine reduction in supply of fuel. This will now impact employment and production nation-wide and across Asia, intensifying the already heavy burden of poverty on the Filipino people. The hike in fuel prices is raising the costs of basic commodities while also resulting in diminishing income for farmers.  As well, there will be an impact on Overseas Filipino Workers and their families, reducing the flow of remittances on which the society also relies.

Everyone should note – diesel cost P57.60 per liter in January 2026, and now at the end of March 2026 the cost is P134.30 per liter.

ICHRP urges the international community to act far more decisively to bring the war to an end, and to bring down the price of fuel. The US war of aggression is enacting devastating impacts on people across the world, and we stand with the whole Filipino people in their assertion of their economic and political rights. 

The latest tool of US-backed counter-insurgency in the Philippines

The National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD) is the latest in a long history of US-backed counter-insurgency (COIN) plans of the Philippine government. Under this plan, President Marcos Jr. has brought together his economic development plan and national security strategy, affirming and doubling down on the “whole of nation” approach to COIN established by previous president Duterte. This strategy brings the whole civilian government under the direction of the military, seeking to destroy the people’s movement by means of deceptive surrenders, brutal military campaigns, and development aggression.

How does the NAP-UPD impact the Filipino people?

The regime’s heavy reliance on fear and militarization under the NAP-UPD has a clear impact: countless civilians are caught up in the middle of this brutal campaign, and subjected to state terror every day. In conducting military campaigns under the guise of the NAP-UPD, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) routinely commits war crimes including wanton disregard for civilian life in military actions; militarization of whole communities; as well as killing and forced surrendering of non-combatant activists.

What does “peace” mean for the Marcos Jr. regime?

“Peace” under the NAP-UPD simply entails the silencing of weapons, and more broadly the silencing of the people’s resistance to the current system. The regime posits that the root of poverty in the country is armed conflict and the dangerous ideology of the revolutionary movement. This backwards view supposes that people are poor because they take up arms – rather than taking up arms in response to crushing poverty and exploitation, and in response to violent repression when they assert their demands.

What does “unity” mean for the Marcos Jr. regime?

“Unity” is how the regime frames its attempts to bribe and divide the people’s movement with threats, and with promises of amnesty and economic aid for rebel surrenderees. Starving peasant communities are tricked into signing papers to accept aid, and corrupt politicians report fake surrenders to receive funding. What unity can there be when the richest Filipinos live in luxury while tens of millions live in squalor and poverty?

What does “development” mean for the Marcos Jr. regime?

“Development” is framed as addressing economic injustices so that impoverished Filipinos do not take up armed struggle. However, this development does not address the systemic issues at the root of this poverty. Rather than addressing corruption, land-grabbing by corporations, and the rule of landlord dynasties, the NAP-UPD is oriented to export resources and labor to first world countries, while importing finished goods and technology – deepening the debt and dependency of the Philippines on first world countries.

What does just and lasting peace really look like?

Peace cannot be obtained through the vanquishing of those fighting against exploitation and oppression. Just and lasting peace can only be achieved with a national strategy which genuinely addresses the socioeconomic roots of armed conflict, including: total rejection of unequal trade and military deals; development of a truly independent and self-sustaining economy; equitable distribution of land to farmers; and an end to government rule by the wealthy elites and sellouts.

Support the Filipino people’s call for just and lasting peace!
Abolish NTF-ELCAC!
Junk NAP-UPD!
End US-backed COIN in the Philippines!

Statement
March 14, 2026

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines condemns the US-Israeli war on Iran. The US-led strikes have resulted in widespread killings of civilians and are wreaking havoc on oil prices and thus the costs of living for people across the world. These attacks must immediately be put to an end. 

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a consequence of unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against Iran has already led to significant economic costs for the Philippines. Gasoline price increases forced the country to cut its work week to 4 days as it struggles to adjust to the potential cut off of its oil supplies from the Middle East. The continuance of the US-Israeli war on Iran has catastrophic day-by-day consequences for the Philippines. 

The Philippine economy is more dependent than most other Asian nations on Middle East oil. It imports 98% of its oil from the Middle East, the vast majority of it transits the Strait of Hormuz. If the conflict continues, the country is expected to experience projected increases of 7.48 pesos per liter for petrol and 17.28 pesos for diesel. 

Prices could lead to increased costs for goods and services, potentially resulting in higher inflation and higher unemployment. Rising fuel prices push up the operating costs for farmers, transport workers, and small businesses, which in turn lead to higher food prices and economic pressure on households. The deregulated oil market limits government intervention, leaving consumers to bear the economic shocks, especially low-income groups.

In addition to oil, approximately 91% of the country’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that is essential for cooking arrives on ships that go through the Strait of Hormuz. The interconnected nature of regional oil supply chains means that shortages in neighboring countries will directly affect the Philippines. 

The Philippines also imports a significant portion of its fertilizers (about 7%) directly from the Middle East.  Its main suppliers (China, Indonesia, Malaysia) of essential nitrogen fertilizers, such as urea and ammonia, are also significantly affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption will lead to increased fertilizer prices and reduced availability. A longer-term disruption will ultimately threaten food security in these countries, as well as in the Philippines.

While the government has taken baby steps to address the situation, such as the reduced work week and fuel tax reductions when the price of oil exceeds $80 per barrel, these measures are far from sufficient.  Fuel tax reductions will be of limited effect as the price is currently well above these thresholds. 

Inflation and potential fuel shortages are the key risks to the Philippines economy as long as the war continues. These impacts will be most acute on the great majority of the people who already struggle with grinding poverty. Because oil and gas supplies are now disrupted for more than two weeks, there will be a broader global economic and financial crisis which will hurt the Filipino people.

Urgent Alert
March 14, 2026

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) expresses its concern about the arrest of 10 individuals on trumped-up charges, and calls for the surfacing of two individuals who remain missing, after recent joint Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) operations.

According to local human rights group Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA), 12 individuals were arrested through separate operations conducted by the AFP and PNP in Quezon City and in Tarlac City, Central Luzon on March 11, 2026. The 5th Infantry Division of the AFP claims that the arrested individuals were members of the “Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee”. CHRA said that all arrested individuals are unarmed and non-combatants.

National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Kennedy Bangibang was among the seven individuals arrested in Tarlac City. Bangibang and his companions were reportedly subjected to verbal and physical abuse from their arresting officers. It was also reported that two of them were arrested without warrants and have remained in illegal custody for more than 48 hours. All of them face fabricated and non-bailable charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

As an NDFP Consultant, Bangibang should have been accorded protection through the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), signed by the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in 1995. His arrest blatantly violates this agreement. ICHRP reminds Philippine authorities that they are bound to uphold and respect Bangibang’s rights. He has since been transferred and detained in Tabuk City, Kalinga, in the Cordillera region.

Meanwhile, Jess Gamay and his companion remain missing despite being allegedly released by the PNP in Camp Karingal, Quezon City last March 11. The two were among the three individuals arrested in a joint PNP-AFP operation in the same city. Authorities claim they are not holding them in custody, but their families and legal team said that they have not contacted them nor have come home since the incident. 

ICHRP calls for the immediate release of the 10 individuals arrested and the surfacing of Jess Gamay and his companion. We call on the Philippine authorities to respect and uphold the rights of all 12 individuals. International humanitarian law (IHL) must also be upheld and observed, and they must be accorded due process and given proper access to their legal counsel and families.