Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Bea Cuadra

Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17738786532671773878648339.jpeg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Members of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) stage a transport strike along E. Rodriguez Avenue corner Araneta Avenue in Quezon City on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATE) </strong>— Transport group Piston, progressive alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), and other labor groups launched a nationwide transport strike on Thursday morning to protest relentless <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/3/18/why-can-oil-firms-hike-prices-for-fuel-bought-weeks-ago-1839">oil price hikes.</a></p><p>Protesters converged at Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City for a press conference to kick off the demonstrations, which involved 15 to 20 strike centers in Metro Maninla alone. </p><p>According to BAYAN, the strike has reached key areas including Cubao, Litex, Pasig, Marikina, and Alabang, as well as major provinces such as Cavite, Bulacan, Cebu, and parts of Mindanao.</p><p>Their primary calls included the scrapping of value added tax (VAT) and excise tax on fuel, and a price rollback to P55 per liter. </p><p>The groups also sought a P5 fare increase for all public utility vehicles (PUVs) and a P1,200 across-the-board wage hike for workers.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1948396989100339%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>Piston national chairman Mody Floranda argued that current wages were no longer sustainable. </p><p>&quot;Yung ating panawagan sa gobyerno na kailangan ay ipatupad yung 1,P200 na minimum na sahod ng ating mga manggagawa para makasabay yung ating mga manggagawa dun sa pagtaas ng mga pangunahing presyo ng bilihin,&quot; Floranda said.</p><p>He added that the government’s P5,000 fuel subsidy program was a &quot;band-aid&quot; solution that would be depleted in less than two days if diesel prices continued to climb. </p><p>&quot;Sabi nga namin yung P5,000 namin ibabalik lang namin sa oil company pero hindi sa aming pamilya,&quot; he said.</p><p>Nanoy Rafael, convener of the PARA-Commuters Network, said the alleged &quot;lack of solutions&quot; from the administration was exacerbating the crisis.</p><p>&quot;So ngayong araw &#x27;no, ay inaasahan talaga natin bubuhos &#x27;yung galit ng mamamayan dahil dito sa walang, kawalan ng solusyon talaga &#x27;no ng gobyernong Marcos,&quot; Rafael said.</p><p>The transport strike comes a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/18/marcos-orders-dotr-suspend-fare-hike-1445">put the brakes on a public transportation fare hike</a> announced just a day earlier, promising the country&#x27;s commuters free rides instead.</p><p>Elmer De Guzman, a jeepney driver, lamented the high cost of operating a jeepney. </p><p>&quot;Dati sumosobra kami ng P300 ngayon P600 eh kinikita namin napupunta lang sa krudo,&quot; he said.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1630887734623415%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>The administration&#x27;s suspension of the fare hike has further dampened the spirits of transport cooperatives. </p><p>Louie Dela Paz, Secretary of the Del Marod Transport Coop, noted that many drivers are now discouraged. </p><p>&quot;Inaasahan po sana namin yung taas pamasahe kaso biglang cinancel ng ating PBBM. Eh medyo nadismaya mga drivers natin,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1348543337112707%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, other transport and labor groups also gathered at Delpan and Recto in Manila early Thursday morning to launch a similar strike.</p><p>Roque Isidoro, Secretary General of the Labor Alliance for National Development and a port worker, emphasized that the burden of high oil prices falls squarely on those who can least afford it.</p><p>&quot;Ang panawagan namin ay aming tinututulan ang patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis dahil ito ay magbubunsod ng pagtaas ng pangunahing bilihin. At sa kasalukuyan po ay mababa ang sahod ng mga manggagawa,&quot; Isidoro said.</p><p>He pointed out that while prices for basic commodities continue to climb, wages remain stagnant, leaving both the employed and the jobless in a desperate state.</p><p>Beyond immediate relief, the labor leader presented several demands to the administration.</p><p>Isidoro suggested that instead of the public bearing the weight of the crisis, the government should look toward large-scale earners.</p><p>&quot;Dapat ay buwisan yung mga bilyonaryo na mga korporasyon na kung saan sila yung nagtitiba ng malaking tubo,&quot; Isidoro remarked.</p><p>The alliance specifically called on President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to take radical steps regarding the country&#x27;s energy security.</p><p>Their primary demand includes the junking of the Oil Deregulation Law and the return of petroleum management to state custody.</p><p>As the strike continues to affect various routes in the capital, the groups are urging the public to understand their plight.</p><p>They are calling for a unified stand to pressure Malacañang into providing concrete solutions, such as subsidies, to cushion the impact of the volatile world market.</p><p>In Pasig City, Piston-NCR president Ely Villena said around 200 drivers in the area are expected to participate in the strike.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;PANIMULA PA LAMANG&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Floranda warned that Thursday’s strike is only the beginning of a series of actions.</p><p>&quot;Panimula pa lamang itong March 19 at magkakaroon ng mga serye ng mga pagkilos... Hangga&#x27;t hindi pinakikinggan ni Bongbong Marcos yung ating kahilingan,&quot; he said.</p><p>Piston said it would file a formal petition for a P5 fare increase before the end of March.</p><p>The Philippines which imports nearly all of its crude oil from the Middle East, has been scrambling to deal with eye-watering price increases triggered by the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/3/19/israel-says-killed-iran-intel-chief-tells-military-to-hunt-down-officials-0039">US-Israeli war with Iran.</a></p><p>Since hostilities erupted, the Philippines has instituted a four-day workweek for civil servants, distributed cash handouts to tricycle drivers, and seen its sole refinery open discussions to buy Russian oil.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong></strong><strong></strong></div><div><strong>NO STRANDED COMMUTERS</strong></div><div><strong> </strong></div><p>The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said road conditions in Metro Manila remained manageable and no emergency dispatch vehicles had been deployed as there have been no reports of stranded passengers.</p><p>MMDA General Manager Nicolas Torre III said the agency monitors traffic from its Emergency Operations Center and would deploy assistance as needed based on passenger volume and road conditions.</p><p>“Meron din tayong single dispatch system para orchestrated po at synchronized sapagkat ayaw po namin mangyari na magsipag-agawan kami sa mga taong hindi naman sumali sa transport strike,” Torre  told Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.  </p><p>Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said it deployed almost 10,000 personnel to watch over the transport strike through fixed visibility posts, motorcycle and foot patrols, traffic checkpoints, and drone-monitored areas.</p><p>“Dito po sa Metro Manila, naka-deploy ang kapulisan sa critical points gaya po ng Bonifacio Monument, EDSA Shrine, at doon po sa Petron, Mandaluyong, sa Department of Transportation (DOTr), San Juan,” NCRPO spokesperson PMaj. Hazel Asil said in an interview with Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon. </p><p>“Meron tayo sa Mendiola, sa US Embassy, ganun din sa Pandacan Oil Depot, sa JP Laurel Nagtahan, sa Liwasang, Bonifacio, itong ating Paco Rotonda terminal, Kartilya ng Katipunan, at Natividad Lopez sa may bandang Ermita,” she added. </p><p>Major thoroughfares such as EDSA, C5, Rojas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, España, Commonwealth Avenue, and Quezon Avenue were also being closely monitored, along with MRT and LRT stations and major terminals, Asilo said.</p><div><strong>— With a report from Agence France-Presse and Christopher Sitson, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>.</p>

<p>Transport group Piston and progressive alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) launched a nationwide transport strike on Thursday morning to protest oil price hikes.</p>

Transport group Piston and progressive alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) launched a nationwide transport strike on Thursday morning to protest oil price hikes.

Transport groups launch nationwide strike to protest soaring fuel costs

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Transport groups launch nationwide strike to protest soaring fuel costs

Bea Cuadra,

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 19, 2026 08:05 AM PHT

|

Updated March 19, 2026 01:59 PM PHT

Read More:

transport strike

commute

transport

Piston

Bayan

oil prices

fuel

diesel

gasoline

Iran war

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