LIVE UPDATES: Conflict in the Middle East (March 14, 2026)

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque on Saturday issued a warning against hoarding of essential goods amid possible price shocks resulting from fuel price volatility amid the Middle East conflict.

“In this time of global uncertainty triggered by the Middle East crisis, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) strongly warns all retailers against hoarding essential goods and engaging in profiteering,” Roque said in a statement.

“These illegal practices will not be tolerated,” she said.

A government-arranged charter flight carrying 442 Filipinos from the United Arab Emirates landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Saturday afternoon amid the Middle East conflict.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the charter flight arrived past 12 p.m. 

It added that over 200 of the 442 passengers are OFWs.

The Petroleum Association of the Philippines (PAP) called on power generation companies to maximize the utilization of domestic natural gas to help stabilize electricity prices. 

In a press release, the group said the country still has unused indigenous capacity that could reduce reliance on costly fuel imports.

 “There is an opportunity to fully implement the downstream Natural Gas law by maximizing the use of indigenous gas,” PAP Chairperson of the Board of Directors Donnabel Kuizon Cruz said. 

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Saturday said a total of 341 distressed and stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the escalating Middle East conflict are set to be repatriated to the Philippines through a chartered flight.

The returning OFWs were from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, and Bahrain, according to the DMW.

In a statement, the DMW said the remains of overseas Filipino worker Mary Ann de Vera have been repatriated to the country on March 14, 2026 together with her husband Bernie Lavarias, who personally met Israeli President Isaac Herzog to extend Israel’s condolences to the deceased’s family.

The Israeli government has committed to providing lifetime support De Vera’s family, according to Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh. 

The US State Department offered a $10 million reward on Friday for information about Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other top officials.

In addition to the supreme leader, the US is seeking information about Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and two officials in Khamenei's office.

 South Korea is considering providing additional energy vouchers to subsidize vulnerable households if rising global fuel prices in the wake of the Middle East crisis push up electricity costs, the government said on Friday.

Asia's fourth-largest economy is also preparing to boost nuclear and coal-fired power generation in the event that oil prices remain high and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are disrupted.

The Department of Energy (DOE) recently released guidelines on the sale of petroleum products amid soaring pump prices caused by the US-Israel conflict with Iran. 

Fuel purchases, the DOE said, should be “consistent with the customer’s normal operational requirements and comply with applicable safety standards for fuel dispensing.”

Amid the massive oil price increases in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East, the price per liter of diesel in the Philippines has surged higher and faster than that of gasoline.

Diesel has hit P66 to P90 per liter over the past few days, and may even reach P100 per liter next week. 

Gasoline on the other hand increased to P57 to P84 per liter after the staggered price increases of the past seven days.

However, figures from the Department of Energy show that the price of gasoline was usually higher than that of diesel. 

Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh described Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, as a “clone” of his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Backed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, who was killed in US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28. He was formally appointed by Iran’s clerical leadership body earlier this week. 

In an exclusive interview with GMA Integrated News, Kursh said Israel is watching the new Iranian leader, who was reportedly injured amid the US-Israel attacks, closely. 

“So I’m afraid that his son is a clone of his dad,” she said, adding that Israel has seen intelligence suggesting Mojtaba Khamenei had been shaped by the same ideology as his father. Kursh said Israel’s objective is not to choose Iran’s next leader but expressed hope that “the Iranian people will choose a different leader.”