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MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday, March 3 he may seek emergency powers from Congress to reduce excise taxes on petroleum products if Dubai crude prices exceed USD80 per barrel amid the ongoing Middle East crisis, a move that has already drawn legislative action from at least two senators.
Speaking at a press conference in Malacañan Palace, Marcos said the proposal is still under deliberation and not yet finalized.
"There is also a proposal that we will examine further. I am going to talk to the leaders in both the House and in the Senate," Marcos said.
"This is something that we are discussing and it could be helpful – to give me, the President, the authority to reduce excise tax on petroleum products, should Dubai crude exceed USD80 per barrel," he added.
Marcos stressed that any tax reduction would not be permanent. "It will be something that we will dispose of as soon as the crisis is over," he said.
Finance Secretary Frederick Go clarified that the contingency plan hinges on two conditions: the price of oil and how long it stays elevated. He noted that Dubai crude is currently trading between USD76 and USD78 per barrel.
"Even if it exceeds USD80 per barrel, doesn't mean we react right away. It also has to exist for a certain period of time. Kasi kung tumaas ang presyo ng 80, isang araw lang, bumaba naman next day ulit ng 77, ba't tayo magre-react," Go said.
Bills filed in the Senate
Ahead of any formal request from the executive, two senators have already filed measures aligned with the President's contingency plan.
Sen. Joel Villanueva filed Senate Bill No. 1922, which would authorize the President, upon recommendation from the Departments of Finance and Energy, to suspend or reduce excise taxes on gasoline and diesel once average prices reach or exceed USD80 per barrel based on the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS).
"In times of global uncertainty, our government must act with both compassion and prudence. The measure we filed today on the temporary lifting of excise tax on fuel seeks to strike that balance," Villanueva said.
"Fuel price spikes do not affect transportation alone. They cascade across the economy, increasing food prices, electricity costs, logistics expenses, and ultimately inflation. The burden is felt most heavily by ordinary Filipino families, public utility drivers, farmers, fisherfolk, and small businesses," he added.
Villanueva said his bill includes an automatic lifting of the suspension once global oil prices stabilize. "Our proposed mechanism also provides for the automatic lifting of such suspension once global oil prices stabilize, thereby preserving fiscal discipline and revenue predictability," he said.
Sen. Bam Aquino filed a companion measure, Senate Bill No. 1923, which similarly grants the President authority to suspend fuel excise taxes during national and global emergencies. Aquino cautioned that delayed or rigid responses could deepen economic hardships, particularly for low-income families.
"This will primarily affect our poor countrymen. Especially since the cost of goods increases when the price of petroleum products increases," Aquino said. "When the price of crude oil increases, the price of goods will increase. The ordinary Filipino will suffer again," he stressed.
Sufficient supply, other safeguards in place
Marcos assured the public that the country's oil stockpiles are sufficient, with reserves ranging from 29 to 67.5 days depending on the product. Diesel stands at 50.5 days, gasoline and fuel oil at 51.5 days each, jet fuel at 58 days, kerosene at 67.5 days, and liquefied petroleum gas at 29 days.
Should prices range between USD80 and USD90 per barrel for two months, the government is considering targeted fuel subsidies for the transport and agricultural sectors, including fisherfolk. Possible measures also include free bus rides on major routes, stable public transport fares, and staggered price adjustments coordinated with oil companies.
Marcos also noted the importance of gradual price adjustments. "Para hindi naman bigla-biglang tataas ang presyo ng petroleum products ng langis. Ito ang mga produkto na ginagamit ng taumbayan ay dahan-dahan lang paakyatin," he said.
Broad senate support
Beyond those who filed bills, other senators have also expressed backing for the proposal. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the move would help shield consumers from rising costs.
"I am in favor of granting the president those powers to be able to lower the excise tax on fuel. That move will definitely help cushion the impacts on high fuel cost due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East," Zubiri said.
Senator Erwin Tulfo echoed the sentiment. "Of course, susuportahan po namin… magkaroon ng automatic suspension ng excise tax kasi mabigat po 'yan," he said.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Friday to discuss the proposed tax suspension and other contingency measures in response to the Middle East conflict.
MANILA — The ongoing military conflict in the Middle East has forced the cancellation of at least 45 flights connected to the Philippines, with the number continuing to rise as hostilities intensify across the region.
Civil aviation authorities confirmed that 42 international flights were grounded starting February 28, with cancellations spread across seven airlines:
Three additional flights were cancelled on Monday, March 2, including:
The disruptions come as conflict in the Middle East reached a critical new phase. The United States launched strikes against hundreds of targets inside Iran, while Israel extended its military operations into Lebanon. President Donald Trump, who ordered the campaign following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, pledged further action after American casualties were reported.
Iranian forces responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and the United Arab Emirates, killing civilians and further destabilizing air travel across the Gulf region.
Passengers with upcoming travel to or from the Middle East are advised to contact their airlines directly for rebooking options and the latest flight status updates.
Another Filipino boat gets water-cannoned. Another resupply mission gets blocked. There is outrage, there are statements, and then just like that, the noise dies down until the next incident. And there is always a next incident.
At some point, it stopped feeling like a crisis and started feeling like a pattern. But that should not stop us from asking the question: why is China doing this?
The most common answer is resources. The West Philippine Sea is rich in oil, gas, and marine life. Whoever controls it controls a lot of wealth. That part makes sense.
But experts who have studied this issue for years say there is much more to it than that.
Retired Justice Antonio Carpio, one of the country's top international law experts, points to the 2016 arbitral ruling at The Hague — a landmark decision that invalidated China's historical claims over the South China Sea. The Philippines won that case. And yet, China is still there.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the AFP Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, argues that the artificial islands China built across the disputed waters are not just about resources. They are about military reach and something far bigger than most people think.
But one expert brings a different angle to the table. Associate Professor Enrico V. Gloria of the UP Department of Political Science, who has studied Chinese foreign policy up close, raises a dimension rooted in history and identity in how China remembers its past, and what it believes it is owed.
He points to a painful chapter in Chinese history known as the "Century of Humiliation" — a period when China lost territories and sovereignty to foreign powers. From China's point of view, what is happening in the South China Sea is not a conquest. It is recovery. And that distinction, Gloria argues, matters a great deal in understanding why China will not simply walk away.
These three experts lay out the most complete explanation of why China refuses to back down, and why this issue is far more complicated than it appears on the surface.
At the end of the day, the West Philippine Sea is not just a headline. It is a question of what kind of country the next generation of Filipinos will inherit, and whether the seas that belong to us will still be ours when that time comes. That is worth paying attention to.
Watch the full explainer on YouTube:
The United States and Israel launched a massive joint military operation against Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering a wave of retaliatory strikes that has pushed the Middle East to the brink of a wider war.
The operation codenamed "Operation Epic Fury" by the US and "Roaring Lion" by Israel targeted Iranian military installations, nuclear-related facilities, and top government officials in coordinated strikes that began in the early morning hours in Tehran.
Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei's death on March 1. He was 86 years old and had led Iran for nearly four decades. Iran declared 40 days of national mourning and immediately launched retaliatory strikes across the region.
Why did the US and Israel attack?
President Donald Trump, in a video statement released at the start of the operation, said the US objective was to "defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime", citing Iran's nuclear program as the primary threat.
The strikes came just two days after US-Iran nuclear negotiations in Geneva ended without a breakthrough. Days before the attack, international inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported discovering hidden highly enriched uranium in an underground Iranian facility that had survived previous strikes. The IAEA said it could no longer confirm that Iran's nuclear program was "exclusively peaceful."
US intelligence also reportedly warned that Iran was planning to launch a preemptive missile attack of its own, which Trump cited as further justification for acting first.
Beyond the nuclear threat, the attack came amid a severe domestic crisis inside Iran. Beginning in late December 2025, mass protests erupted across the country after Iran's currency, the rial, collapsed and prices spiked sharply. The Iranian government responded with deadly force, with death toll estimates ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of protesters killed. Trump had previously told Iranians to "keep protesting," saying "help is on the way."
The region responds
Iran wasted no time retaliating. It launched an unprecedented wave of missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases and Gulf Arab states that host American forces, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
Dubai's international airport, the world's busiest for international travel, was forced to suspend all flights indefinitely after Iranian strikes caused damage to the facility. Airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit.
Three American service members were killed and five others seriously wounded, confirmed by US Central Command on March 1. Trump warned that more US casualties were likely but vowed that strikes would continue.
Iran also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly 20% of the world's oil supply passes, prompting major shipping companies to immediately suspend transit through the strait.
Global reactions
The strikes drew sharp international condemnation from several world powers. China condemned the attack called it "unacceptable" and a violation of international law. Russia's President Vladimir Putin described Khamenei's killing as a "cynical murder." North Korea also condemned the strikes as illegal aggression.
Within the United States and among Iranian diaspora communities, reactions were sharply divided, with some celebrating the fall of a regime they had long opposed, and others warning of dangerous and unpredictable consequences.
The European Union urged both sides to immediately halt military action, warning of a possible "nuclear proliferation cascade" if the conflict continued to escalate.
What happens next?
As of this writing, the conflict is ongoing. Israel has continued strikes inside Iran, and Iran has vowed further retaliation. The fate of Iran's government remains unclear following Khamenei's death, with a temporary leadership council reportedly being established.
The OPEC group of oil-producing nations convened an emergency meeting to address the threat of a severe oil price spike should Gulf supply lines remain disrupted.
Meanwhile, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno signed Executive Order No. 7, cutting fuel consumption across city government offices by 50% in anticipation of reduced fuel supply from the Middle East. The order directs all city offices, departments, and bureaus to reduce fuel use of motorized vehicles, generators, heavy equipment, and other fuel-dependent assets.
Filipinos will also start feeling the impact. Starting Tuesday, March 3, 2026, gasoline prices will rise by P1.90 per liter, diesel by P1.20 per liter, and kerosene by P1.50 per liter, a direct consequence of the supply disruption caused by the conflict. This marks the 10th straight week of price hikes for diesel and kerosene, and the 8th consecutive increase for gasoline. Since the start of the year, gasoline has gone up by a total of P4.80 per liter, diesel by P8.20, and kerosene by P6.20.
The international community is watching closely and calling for an immediate ceasefire before the crisis spirals further out of control.
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. Erwin Tulfo on March 1 called on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to implement a recovery plan for Filipino workers whose Middle East deployment was cancelled following joint US and Israel airstrikes on Iran.
Tulfo expressed concern not only for OFWs already in conflict-affected areas but also for those who had been preparing to leave for work abroad and were forced to stay behind due to the escalating unrest.
"While we are concerned about our fellow Filipinos caught in the conflict in countries affected by the airstrikes in the Middle East, we also call on the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to pay attention to Filipinos who were about to leave the country for work but had to stay due to the ongoing unrest," Tulfo said.
The senator noted that many of those affected came from provincial areas, making their situation more difficult as they had likely already made financial and logistical preparations for their departure.
Tulfo proposed tapping the P2 billion AKSYON Fund (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan Fund) to provide immediate financial assistance to displaced workers. The fund was specifically designed as an emergency relief mechanism for distressed OFWs.
The United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on February 28, further escalating tensions across the Middle East region.
