Hundreds of transport workers in the Philippines' capital Manila have gone on strike over rising fuel costs. Diesel and petrol prices have more than doubled since the Iran war broke out on 28 February - with the Philippines now in a state of national energy emergency.
One 62-year-old driver in Manila told the BBC the situation was getting increasingly desperate, saying he had no food to support his five children and had not received any cash aid from the government.
As the two-day strike started on Thursday a ship carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil arrived in the country. Press Secretary Claire Castro told reporters that the Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky arrived earlier this week with the crude shipment.
Marcos had promised to look for new sources of oil as the country had been relying on supplies that pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 98% of its requirements. The transport coalitions leading the strike have laid out sweeping demands - from scrapping fuel taxes and rolling back oil prices, to abandoning deregulation and introducing state controls.
They are also pushing for fare increases and higher wages. Groups of protesters gathered in different areas across the capital on Thursday morning, holding signs and calling for the government to do more to help. Many of them were drivers of jeepneys - mini-buses known for their cheap fares. Motorcycle and car ride-hailing drivers were also among those who earlier said they would join protests, according to local reports.
Some said they had not received the payout of 5,000 pesos ($83; £62) that the Department of Social Welfare and Development had said certain drivers would be eligible for. I lined up for more than five hours yesterday for the cash aid from the government, but my name was not there, said Guillermo Japole, adding that he had received no cash aid, no earnings, no food for the family.
Guillermo, whose five children are in school, says his family is on the edge of being evicted from their rental home. Another driver, 28-year-old Anjo Lilac similarly said he had not received any aid and brought his daughter Hannah to the protest. No one will look after her since my wife got a temporary job, he explained. It [financial aid] will help us - for food, house rent and most especially the milk for our baby.
Some jeepney drivers told the BBC they might go back to their hometowns to look for other jobs. It feels like we are being choked. It's really tough. We don't know where we can get money to provide for our families, said Ronnie Rillosa, 58, who has been a jeepney driver for 30 years.
Earlier on Wednesday, Marcos also signed a law authorising him to temporarily suspend or cut the excise tax on petroleum products when the average Dubai crude oil price reaches or exceeds $80 (£59) per barrel for a month. Since hostilities in the Middle East began, the government has offered subsidies to transport drivers, reduced ferry services, and implemented a four-day work week for civil servants to save fuel.
The Philippines is the first country to declare this amid the US-Israel war with Iran. A committee has been formed to oversee the orderly distribution of fuel, food, medicines and other essential goods, and the government has been empowered to directly purchase fuel or petroleum products to shore up its supplies. But not everyone is happy. One of the country's main labour coalitions, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), strongly criticised the emergency declaration, calling it an admission that the government failed to address the oil crisis.
One 62-year-old driver in Manila told the BBC the situation was getting increasingly desperate, saying he had no food to support his five children and had not received any cash aid from the government.
As the two-day strike started on Thursday a ship carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil arrived in the country. Press Secretary Claire Castro told reporters that the Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky arrived earlier this week with the crude shipment.
Marcos had promised to look for new sources of oil as the country had been relying on supplies that pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 98% of its requirements. The transport coalitions leading the strike have laid out sweeping demands - from scrapping fuel taxes and rolling back oil prices, to abandoning deregulation and introducing state controls.
They are also pushing for fare increases and higher wages. Groups of protesters gathered in different areas across the capital on Thursday morning, holding signs and calling for the government to do more to help. Many of them were drivers of jeepneys - mini-buses known for their cheap fares. Motorcycle and car ride-hailing drivers were also among those who earlier said they would join protests, according to local reports.
Some said they had not received the payout of 5,000 pesos ($83; £62) that the Department of Social Welfare and Development had said certain drivers would be eligible for. I lined up for more than five hours yesterday for the cash aid from the government, but my name was not there, said Guillermo Japole, adding that he had received no cash aid, no earnings, no food for the family.
Guillermo, whose five children are in school, says his family is on the edge of being evicted from their rental home. Another driver, 28-year-old Anjo Lilac similarly said he had not received any aid and brought his daughter Hannah to the protest. No one will look after her since my wife got a temporary job, he explained. It [financial aid] will help us - for food, house rent and most especially the milk for our baby.
Some jeepney drivers told the BBC they might go back to their hometowns to look for other jobs. It feels like we are being choked. It's really tough. We don't know where we can get money to provide for our families, said Ronnie Rillosa, 58, who has been a jeepney driver for 30 years.
Earlier on Wednesday, Marcos also signed a law authorising him to temporarily suspend or cut the excise tax on petroleum products when the average Dubai crude oil price reaches or exceeds $80 (£59) per barrel for a month. Since hostilities in the Middle East began, the government has offered subsidies to transport drivers, reduced ferry services, and implemented a four-day work week for civil servants to save fuel.
The Philippines is the first country to declare this amid the US-Israel war with Iran. A committee has been formed to oversee the orderly distribution of fuel, food, medicines and other essential goods, and the government has been empowered to directly purchase fuel or petroleum products to shore up its supplies. But not everyone is happy. One of the country's main labour coalitions, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), strongly criticised the emergency declaration, calling it an admission that the government failed to address the oil crisis.
