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.

Save the Date for ICHRP’s Global Conference on the US Backed Marcos Regime’s War of Suppression Disguised as Peace and 5th General Assembly in Toronto, Canada Sept 25-27th. 

The Filipino people are in the middle of a great struggle for a just peace. On the heels of the ICC arrest of former President Duterte – a victory belonging to the Filipino people – the nationwide mass movement in the Philippines continues to organize for a genuine peace based on justice under the rabid Marcos Jr regime. 

Workers, peasants, Indigenous People, youth, students, women, church people, and professionals campaign for genuine land reform, national industrialization, and national sovereignty. 

But the Marcos Jr regime has responded to the people’s demands with a war of suppression and disguised in peace rhetoric. This fake peace agenda is escalating fascist state terror under the GRP’s counter-insurgency program and upholds US military interests in the region in order to protect foreign profit and domestic bureaucrats. It even seeks to attack solidarity efforts, as we witnessed in the military harassment and drone surveillance of international delegates of the October 2025 International Solidarity Mission. 

As an organization founded in 2013 to campaign for just and lasting peace, ICHRP joins with the Filipino people to call on the international community to expose Marcos’ Fake Peace agenda and take a stand with the Filipino people for a just peace. Save the date for our conference and general assembly in 2026.

MIS À JOUR DE L’EMPLACEMENT! Conférence mondiale & 5e Assemblée générale de l’ICHRP

Notez dans vos agendas la date de la conférence mondiale de l’ICHRP sur la guerre de répression, dissimulée sous une fausse rhétorique de paix, menée par le régime de Marcos avec le soutien des États-Unis, et de la 5e Assemblée générale de l’ICHRP à Toronto, Canada, du 25 au 27 septembre. 

Le peuple philippin mène une lutte sans relâche pour bâtir une paix juste. Dans la foulée de l’arrestation de l’ancien président Duterte par la CPI – une victoire pour le peuple philippin – le mouvement social de masse aux Philippines continue de s’organiser pour une paix durable fondée sur la justice, sous le régime féroce de Marcos Jr. 

Les ouvriers, les paysans, les peuples autochtones, les jeunes, les étudiants, les femmes, les croyants et les travailleurs font campagne pour une véritable réforme agraire, un processus d’industrialisation et la souveraineté nationale. 

Mais le régime de Marcos Jr répond aux demandes du peuple par une guerre de répression dissimulée sous une fausse rhétorique de paix. Ce programme fallacieux intensifie la terreur d’État dans le cadre du programme de contre-insurrection du Gouvernement philippin et défend les intérêts militaires des États-Unis dans la région, afin de protéger les profits des entreprises étrangères et les bureaucrates nationaux. Il s’attaque même à la solidarité internationale, comme à travers le harcèlement militaire et la surveillance par drone des délégués internationaux de la Mission de solidarité internationale au mois d’octobre dernier.

Organisation fondée en 2013 pour porter l’exigence d’une paix juste et durable, l’ICHRP se joint au peuple philippin pour appeler la communauté internationale à dénoncer le soi-disant programme de paix de Marcos et à prendre position aux côtés du peuple philippin pour réclamer une paix juste. Notez dans vos agenda la date de notre conférence et de notre assemblée générale en 2026.

Attack demonstrates vulnerability of Philippines to attack in a war in which it has no part

“The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) calls on the Marcos Jr government to pull out all stops to assist Filipino migrant workers stranded and endangered in the Gulf states, Lebanon and Israel,” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy today.

“We know that one Filipino worker has been killed by missile fire in Israel, and that there are initially 1,033 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) stranded because of the shutdown of air space over the region. But these numbers will grow every day while this war rages,” said Murphy. “With almost 2.5 million OFWs in the war zone, there will be an immediate emotional and financial impact on Philippine society.

“The Marcos Jr administration should not rely on Trump statements that this war will be over soon. Instead, it should listen to the workers involved, and their families, and use charter flights or military aircraft to rescue Filipinos who need to get out of danger. For those who cannot leave but who may run out of money in this crisis due to work stopping, we call on the administration to provide sustenance,” said Murphy. “The basic human rights to life, to food, shelter and health care must be honoured.”

The war has disrupted oil and gas shipments out of the Persian Gulf, which mainly go to India, China and the Asia-Pacific region. The price of fuel in the Philippines has already increased by 2 pesos and is speculated by oil monopolies to rise further by another 16 pesos per liter for diesel and 7.7 pesos for gasoline in the coming days. .This will really hurt the great majority of the people who struggle with grinding poverty. If oil and gas supplies are disrupted for more than two weeks, there will be a broader global economic and financial crisis which will really impact the Filipino people immensely.

At a deeper level, the new war in West Asia exposes the place of the Philippines in the US war machine, because the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was deployed to the war zone from the Philippines, where it had been refueled and replenished. In retaliation to the illegal bombardment launched on February 28, the Iranian regime has hit many targets related to the US and Israeli military within range of its missiles and drones. While no Iranian missiles can reach the Philippines, other asymmetric warfare could be launched against targets in the Philippines by Iranian agents. But the Marcos Jr administration had no role in Trump’s decision to go to war.

In the event that the US goes to war against China – they are preparing to do this in 2027 – all its many military bases in the Philippines will be targets, as has happened with Iran targeting them in the Persian Gulf region. This obvious danger needs to be addressed urgently, to enable the Filipino people to exercise their basic human rights to life, peace and genuine development.

In the last three months, Trump has ordered airstrikes in Somalia, Nigeria, Venezuela and now Iran, he has kidnaped the President of Venezuela, and, along with assassination of the Supreme Leader and other senior leaders of Iran by Israel. He has repeatedly threatened to seize Greenland, and to absorb Canada and Mexico. He supports Netanyahu’s ambition for a ‘Greater Israel’. Despite his rhetoric about ending wars and building peace, Trump does whatever he likes, breaking international law at will, to assert “America First”. This clear pattern of aggression bodes ill for the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region.

“ICHRP urges the Marcos Jr administration to extract itself from the US strategy for war with China, and hear the calls of Filipinos for an independent foreign policy. Instead, it should  pursue the unfinished peace agenda first set out in the Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 for social and economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms that would not allow any foreign intervention and control,” said Murphy.

“However, we know that this will not happen unless the Filipino people can create the political conditions for any Manila administration to seriously take the path of peace. We strongly support the broad people’s efforts to confront the massive corruption scandal, to impeach political leaders who brazenly plunder and sell out to foreign powers, and the pursuit of accountability for state murders at the International Criminal Court,” said Murphy.

“ICHRP urges the whole international community to wake up to the danger exposed in the attack on Iran, and to stand together to uphold international law and the vital human rights of all peoples, including those in Palestine, Iran, and the Philippines,” Murphy concluded.