LIVE UPDATES: Conflict in the Middle East (April 17, 2026)

With the oil crisis, the government said assistance may also be accessed by the middle-income class.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program is not limited to the vulnerable sectors, although currently, the priority beneficiaries of the program are PUV drivers.

GMA News Online asked ACMobility head of Mobility Infrastructure and Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines vice president Carla Buencamino to compare the “fuel-to-kilometer” cost of using an EV versus a traditional internal combustion engine car.

“The difference right now is striking, and it actually works in the EV's favor, even accounting for the power rate increase,” Buencamino said.

Read more:
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/motoring/984367/electricity-rates-fuel-prices-evs/story/
More stories: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/ Follow us: https://www.facebook.com/gmanews/

Sa harap ng mataas na presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo ngayon dahil sa sigalot sa Middle East, mas makatitipid nga bang gumamit ang motorista ng sasakyang de-kuryente (EVs) kahit nagmahal din naman ang singil sa kuryente? Alamin.

Tinanong ng GMA News Online si Carla Buencamino, pinuno ng Mobility Infrastructure ng ACMobility at bise presidente ng Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines, upang ihambing ang gastos sa “fuel-to-kilometer” na paggamit ng EV kumpara sa tradisyunal na sasakyang may internal combustion engine o ginagamitan ng krudo gaya ng gasolina o diesel.

Around P2 million worth of stolen diesel was discovered at a compound in San Mateo, Rizal.

According to a "24 Oras" report by Jun Veneracion on Friday, the illegal operation was found after one of its trucks was stopped for a broken headlight in Valenzuela City.

The PNP Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) later found that the vehicle carried 7,000 liters of undocumented and unprocessed diesel, leading to the arrest of the driver and porter of the truck.

A P3 rollback per kilogram of LPG or cooking gas was announced as of 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

According to a "24 Oras" report on Friday, the amount was equivalent to a P33 reduction for every 11-kilogram LPG tank.

LPG Marketers Association founder Arnel Ty had said that the rollback was due to the lowered shipping and transport costs.

DUBAI/WASHINGTON - Iran temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, raising optimism about peace talks, but Tehran warned that it could close the crucial waterway again if the recent US Navy blockade of Iranian ports continued.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced on social media that the strait, a slender chokepoint in global energy trade, was open for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the US-brokered 10-day truce that was agreed on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, which was invaded by Israel after the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group joined the fighting.

US President Donald Trump, who with Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28 that has killed thousands of people and led to the strait's de facto closure, told supporters at a rally in Arizona that Araqchi's announcement marked "a great and brilliant day for the world."

But subsequent statements and clarifications from both sides left uncertainty over how quickly shipping might return to normal, and some vessels could be observed making unsuccessful attempts cross the strait on Friday before turning back.

Trump said a US blockade of ships sailing to Iranian ports, announced after talks with Iran last weekend ended without agreement, would remain until "our transaction with Iran is 100% complete".

Iran responded sharply, with Iran's parliament speaker and senior negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf saying in a social media post that the strait, which until recently carried about a fifth of the world's oil trade, "will not remain open" if the US blockade continues. He also said Trump had made multiple false claims about the peace talks on Friday.

Iran has said all ships must coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was not the case before the war. The Defense Ministry said in a statement quoted by state television that military vessels and ships linked to "hostile forces", US and Israel, were still not permitted to pass.

Vessel traffic data showed a group of around 20 ships, including container ships, bulk carriers, and tankers, moving through the Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, but most ended up turning back, although it was not clear why. The group included three container ships operated by French shipping group CMA CGM, which declined to comment.

It was the largest group of vessels to attempt the transit since the start of the war.

It also was unclear how the two sides would address Iran's nuclear program, which has been a key sticking point in peace talks so far, with Iran defending its right to what it says is a civilian nuclear energy program.

Trump told Reuters the US would remove Iran's stockpiles of enriched uranium. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV the material would not be transferred anywhere.

Separately, a senior Iranian official said that Iran hoped a preliminary agreement could be reached in the coming days that could extend a ceasefire that is due to expire next week. That could buy more time for negotiations on lifting sanctions on Iran and securing compensation for war damages, the official said.

Oil prices tumble, stocks jump

Oil prices CLc1, LCOc1 fell about 10%, and global stocks jumped on the news that marine traffic might flow through the strait again. O/RMKTS/GLOB

Shipping companies cautiously welcomed Iran's announcement but said they would require clarifications, including about the risk of mines, before vessels move through the entry point to the Gulf.

The US Navy warned seafarers that the mine threat in parts of the waterway was not fully understood and said they should consider avoiding the area.

After a video conference on Friday, more than a dozen countries said they were willing to join an international mission to protect shipping in the strait when conditions permit, Britain said.

Diplomacy progress

Trump told Reuters there could probably be more peace talks this weekend. Some diplomats said that was unlikely given the logistics of gathering in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, where the talks are expected to take place.

A Pakistani source involved in mediation efforts said an upcoming meeting could result in an initial memorandum of understanding, followed by a comprehensive peace agreement within 60 days.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters there had been an agreement on unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets as part of the accord, without giving a timeline. Later on Friday, Trump, who has repeatedly referred to a peace agreement as a "deal" or "transaction", said at his Arizona rally with supporters that "no money will exchange hands in any way, shape or form."

At last weekend's talks, the US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.

Two Iranian sources have said there were signs of a compromise that could remove part of the stockpile.

Trump told Reuters the US might not act quickly. "We're going to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery," he said in a phone interview. "We'll bring it back to the United States."

He mentioned "nuclear dust", a reference to the aftermath of bombing strikes by the US and Israel on Iran's nuclear installations in June last year.

Despite Trump's optimism, Iranian sources told Reuters that "gaps remained to be resolved" before a preliminary agreement, while senior clerics struck a defiant tone during Friday prayers.

"Our people do not negotiate while being humiliated," cleric Ahmad Khatami said.

The US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be largely holding on Friday, despite Lebanese Army reports of some Israeli violations. Paramedics said an Israeli drone strike killed one person in southern Lebanon.

The conflict was reignited on March 2 when Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in support of Iran, prompting an Israeli offensive that authorities say has killed nearly 2,300 people. —Reuters

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto on Friday urged micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to avail of P4 billion worth of emergency loans offered by the government amid the Middle East crisis.

Recto said the loan program is part of the comprehensive aid package approved by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to help Filipinos affected by the current global oil shock.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced Friday that trucks hauling agricultural goods will be exempt from toll fees for one month starting April 20, 2026. 

In a statement, the DA said the move forms part of efforts to ease logistics costs, stabilize food prices, and protect farmers’ incomes amid rising fuel costs due to the Middle East conflict.

Transport group MANIBELA marched from Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City to Mendiola in Manila on Friday, marking the final day of their three-day transport strike against high fuel prices.

MANIBELA chairperson Mar Valbuena said protesters are calling for the suspension of excise tax and value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products and a rollback in pump prices.

“Magmamartsa po kami papuntang Mendiola para malapit-lapit na sa ating Pangulo na ipanawagan na isuspend ang excise tax, ang value-added tax, at i-roll back ang presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo doon sa nararapat na presyo nito,” he told GMA News’ Unang Balita.

(We will march to Mendiola to get closer to our President to call for the suspension of the excise tax, the value-added tax and the rollback of the price of petroleum products to their proper price.)

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Monday that the voluntary price freeze on basic necessities and prime commodities has been extended until May 10, following agreements with manufacturers and retailers.

According to Nimfa Ravelo's report on Super Radyo dzBB, Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque made the announcement during a visit to a grocery store in Muntinlupa, extending an earlier commitment that initially covered prices only until April 30.