LIVE UPDATES: Conflict in the Middle East (March 4, 2026)

More than 1,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have expressed their intention to return to the Philippines amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Wednesday.

OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said that as of 12 noon, 1,189 OFWs had signified their desire to be repatriated.

The breakdown is as follows:

    Bahrain — 278

    Abu Dhabi — 246

    Dubai — 231

    Qatar — 173

    Kuwait — 62

    Israel — 46

    Lebanon — 5

The foreign ministers of ASEAN on Wednesday urged parties involved in the Middle East conflict to respect international law and settle the conflict through peaceful means. 

In a statement, ASEAN's foreign ministers expressed serious concern over the escalation of tension in the Middle East following the attacks initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran.

''We call on all countries to respect international law, including the Charter of the United Nations (UN Charter),'' they said.

''This escalation is particularly regrettable as it occurred amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, including mediation initiatives led by the Sultanate of Oman aimed at advancing a negotiated solution,'' the foreign ministers added.

Some 12 local officials from Bulacan are currently stranded in Dubai amid tensions between the United States and Iran, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla Jr. said on Wednesday.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. intends to certify as urgent new proposed measures that will give him the authority to reduce excise tax on oil products, Malacañang said Wednesday 

''Sa huli po nating pakikipag-usap, ang sabi po sa atin, kapag po nag-lift o nag-suspend po ng excise tax ay dapat po 2018 to 2020,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a briefing. 

(We were informed that lifting or suspending the excise tax should be from 2018 to 2020.) 

''So, sa ngayon po ay hindi po siya umiiral, kaya po ninanais ng Pangulo na magkaroon ng panibagong batas para po mabigyan siya ng authority na ma-reduce ang excise tax,'' she added. 

Power distribution firm Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Wednesday said it will review its fuel position, particularly in liquefied natural gas (LNG), and assess its potential impact on power prices following the Middle East conflict that has driven global oil prices higher.

In a post on his X account, Meralco chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan said the company will also examine how coal and diesel prices could affect electricity costs.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may consider studying a proposal to adopt a four-day workweek as part of efforts to conserve energy, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the President could look into the suggestion, particularly if tensions between Israel and Iran worsen.

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who suffered minor injuries from an explosion at an airport in Kuwait amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East has already recovered, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

"Mayroon tayong isa na minor injury. Wound ang natamo sa kaniyang leeg," Migrant Works Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac told dzBB Super Radyo on Wednesday.

(One OFW had a minor injury after sustaining neck wounds.)

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday expressed belief that Congress will give President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. emergency powers to reduce excise taxes on petroleum products amid the heightened tensions in the Middle East. 

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said that since the situation has been "unpredictable," Congress should immediately grant such powers, if requested by the President.

Motorists may face another round of fuel price increases next week as global oil markets remain volatile amid tensions in the Middle East, the Department of Energy (DOE) said on Wednesday.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said a new adjustment in pump prices could take effect Tuesday, following the ?1.90 per liter increase implemented this week.

“Mag-i-increase tayo next week, Tuesday (There will be an increase next week, Tuesday),” she added.

Garin said global developments, particularly in the Middle East, continue to drive oil price movements.

The US military on Tuesday identified four of the first American soldiers killed in the war against Iran as the Trump administration warned the intensifying conflict would lead to more American casualties.

Among six US military deaths so far, the four soldiers were members of an Iowa unit of the US Army Reserve. They died on Sunday when a drone slammed into a US military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, the US military said on Tuesday.