Hundreds of people marched through Manila on Friday to protest rising fuel prices as the Philippines reels from the energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.
The protest was part of a two-day nationwide strike, organized by the country’s transport unions. Since the start of the war, the cost of diesel and petrol has more than doubled.
“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 everyday.”
Protesters marched through the city toward the Presidential Palace, where there were barricades and a heavy police presence.
Earlier this week, the Philippines became the first country in the world to announce a state of emergency due to the energy shortages, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warning that there was 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 country had 40-45 days’ worth of petroleum supply left and outlined the “cascading effects” of higher energy prices on the economy.
Measures include introducing fuel subsidies and other initiatives to reduce transport costs, taking action against hoarding, profiteering and manipulation of the supply of petroleum products.
Jeepney drivers and other public transport operators have been struggling to stay afloat amid the soaring cost of oil.
Allan Las Pinas, 46, also a jeepney driver, said the oil price increase has reduced his daily income.
“Before, I could give part of my earnings everyday 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.”
About 98% of the Philippines’ oil imports come from the Middle East, making the country – and much of Asia – especially vulnerable to supply disruptions.
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