MANILA: Oil-poor Philippines is to shift to a four-day work week with fuel prices set to rocket up amid the Iran war, President Ferdinand Marcos said on Friday.

Marcos announced the shift, set to start at all government offices on Monday, among measures aimed at easing the economic impact of the armed conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

He warned the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply transits, would increase local pump prices next week by 7.48 pesos per litre for gasoline, 17.28 pesos for diesel, and 32.35 pesos for kerosene (13-55 US cents).

“We are victims of a war that is not of our choosing,” Marcos said in a statement, adding it was uncertain when it would end.

“But we control how we will protect the Filipino.”

The Philippines imports most of its crude oil from the Middle East and still relies on oil-fired power plants to generate electricity.

The war also threatens the safety and job security of more than two million Filipinos working in the Middle East.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2026