Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

Members of transport group MANIBELA join, for the first time, the larger multisectoral protest on Labor Day in Manila on May 1, a day after the deadline for franchise consolidation elapsed under the PUV modernization program. MANIBELA announced their own transport strike beginning tomorrow.
Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Labor Day

Dennis Datu

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — A coalition of transport groups, urban poor organizations, and progressive groups will join a two-day nationwide transport strike starting Thursday to protest rising fuel prices and what they describe as the government’s inadequate response to the crisis.Groups including SANLAKAS, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), and Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) announced coordinated protest actions in Metro Manila and key provinces.BMP president Luke Espiritu said Filipinos are already struggling with rising costs and warned of worsening conditions.“Iba ang sitwasyon ngayon, basically magugutom tayo lahat, double digit inflation, tataas ang presyo ng kuryente, ng tubig, hindi natin maimagine kung anong klaseng senaryo ang kakaharapin natin”  Espiritu said.(This is a different situation. Basically, we will all go hungry with double digit inflation and high power and water rates. What we will be facing is unimaginable)<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/3/25/makabayan-bloc-seeks-to-declare-fuel-a-prime-commodity-impose-price-ceilings-1303">Makabayan bloc seeks to declare fuel a prime commodity, impose price ceilings </a></div>He added that drivers are the first to be hit, but the impact will ripple across sectors, especially workers already receiving what he described as “starvation wages.”He said job contracts that deprive workers of security of tenure and mandated benefits add to the uncertainty they face.Meanwhile, Freedom from Debt Coalition Secretary General Rovik Obanil warned of broader economic consequences, saying the Philippines was already facing economic challenges even before global tensions worsened.“‘Yang nakikita natin mga epekto na ‘yan ay asahan natin na lalala pa, at ang tutungihin po niyan ay isang pandaigdigang economic slowdown, magkakaroon ng pagbagal na paglaho ng ekonomiya sa buong daigdig at maapektuhan niyan ang Pilipinas,” Obanil said.(We see that this will lead to a global economic slowdown, economic growth will slow down worldwide and that will affect the Philippines)He pushed for long-term solutions, including the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law and the revival of an oil price stabilization fund to help control price spikes.During a press conference in Quezon City, members of progressive groups staged a protest by banging pots and pans to highlight hunger and rising living costs.Urban poor groups are expected to hold demonstrations in several areas, including Las Piñas, Valenzuela, Marikina, Quezon City, and parts of Luzon and Visayas such as Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, Bacolod, and Leyte.<div> </div><div>‘Prepared for the strike’</div>Transport group Manibela said it is prepared for the strike, with chairman Mar Valbuena estimating that up to 70 percent of public transportation could be affected.Participants include drivers of public utility jeepneys, UV Express units, ride-hailing services, motorcycle taxis, and trucking groups.The coalition is calling for the suspension of fuel excise taxes and a more accessible subsidy system, saying many drivers have been unable to receive government aid due to strict requirements.Valbuena also criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/24/marcos-declares-state-of-national-energy-emergency-1927">declaration</a> of a national energy emergency, saying it lacks concrete measures to reduce fuel prices.He said the government seems focused on providing short-term aid and not holding oil companies, whom groups have accused of profiting from the crisis, accountable.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/23/another-transport-strike-set-on-march-26-27-0955">Another transport strike set on March 26-27</a></div>Despite the looming disruption, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III assured the public that contingency measures are in place.The MMDA said it is coordinating with local government units and has vehicles ready for deployment to assist stranded commuters.Transport strike actions are expected in key areas in Quezon city, Caloocan City, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Pasig, and parts of Cavite, Laguna, Iloilo, Bacolod, Tacloban, and Davao.

A coalition of transport groups, urban poor organizations, and progressive groups will join a two-day nationwide transport strike starting Thursday to protest rising fuel prices and what they describe as the government’s inadequate response to the crisis.

A coalition of transport groups, urban poor organizations, and progressive groups will join a two-day nationwide transport strike starting Thursday to protest rising fuel prices and what they describe as the government’s inadequate response to the crisis.

Various groups to join 2-day nationwide transport strike over fuel price surge

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Various groups to join 2-day nationwide transport strike over fuel price surge

Dennis Datu,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 25, 2026 05:10 PM PHT

Read More:

TRANSPORT STRIKE

OIL CRISIS

JEEPNEY DRIVERS

URBAN POOR GROUPS

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