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MANILA, Philippines – As public utility vehicle drivers reel from the high cost of fuel, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended the fare hike on March 18, just a day before its scheduled implementation. Marcos sought to reassure public transport workers, saying the government would provide additional support.

The government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development, has begun distributing P5,000 in cash aid to affected public utility vehicle drivers. Marcos added that he had directed the Department of Transportation to roll out free public transportation services nationwide. There will be discounts on fares for the MRT and LRT, as well as on toll roads.

On March 19, jeepney drivers, led by transport group Piston, staged a nationwide transport strike to demand lower fuel prices. The group called for an increase in the minimum jeepney fare from P13 to P18, and urged the government to scrap the excise tax and value-added tax on fuel to help ease rising costs.

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump told Israel not to repeat its attacks on Iranian natural gas infrastructure as tit-for-tat strikes on energy plants sent prices spiraling, sharply escalating the US-Israeli war on Iran.

This came as leaders from the European Union’s 27 countries called for de-escalation in Iran and the wider region on March 19, as well as a moratorium on striking critical infrastructure, amid growing concerns about the impacts of the Iran war on the global economy.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

Palestinians walk amid a sandstorm in a tent camp sheltering Palestinians displaced during the two-year Israeli offensive, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 14, 2026. PHOTO BY RAMADAN ABED/REUTERS

Plane spotters take pictures as a USAF B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford airbase, used by United States Air Force personnel, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, on March 14, 2026. PHOTO BY JACK TAYLOR/REUTERS

Mexicans participate in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record, where organizers aim to break the mark for the world’s largest football (soccer) lesson as part of efforts to promote the country ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at Zocalo Square in Mexico City, Mexico, on March 15, 2026. PHOTO BY QUETZALLI NICTE-HA/REUTERS

Several ‘ninots’, including ones that depict US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a devil, during the traditional Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain, on March 15, 2026. PHOTO BY EVA MANEZ/REUTERS

Influencer Sofia Tansella and Dancer Dergin Tokmak perform around a snow globe during the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina Paralympics at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on March 15, 2026. PHOTO BY MATTEO CIAMBELLI/REUTERS

Li Jun Li on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on March 15, 2026. PHOTO BY DANIEL COLE/REUTERS

A seller arranges the rice goods at Central Market in Sta. Cruz, Manila, on March 16, 2026. Rice prices have risen and could continue to increase as concerns grow over supply disruptions and higher fuel costs linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

An emotional Marzia Rezaei stands near the grave of her son, Erfan, who was killed in strikes, at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, in Tehran, Iran, on March 16, 2026. PHOTO BY ALAA AL-MARJANI/REUTERS

A member of the media works near emergency personnel inspecting the damage inside a house that was damaged by a projectile strike, in Rishon LeZion, Israel, on March 16, 2026. PHOTO BY TYRONE SIU/REUTERS

Hossan, a volunteer, organizes activities and games for displaced children, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 16, 2026. PHOTO BY MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS

Tricycle drivers queue to receive cash relief assistance distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development during a payout activity at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City on March 17, 2026, as the government rolls out financial aid to ease the impacts of rising fuel prices. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales, presents shamrock to the Irish Wolfhound regimental mascot during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks, in Aldershot, Britain, on March 17, 2026. PHOTO BY HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS

Visitors take selfies in front of the early-flowering cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan, on March 17, 2026. PHOTO BY ISSEI KATO/REUTERS

People on the outside of a train as they leave Dhaka to celebrate Eid’l Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, with their families, at Tongi Railway Station in Gazipur, Bangladesh, on March 18, 2026. PHOTO BY MOHAMMAD PONIR HOSSAIN/REUTERS

Members of Piston Cebu, together with various sectoral groups, stage a protest in front of the Department of Energy in Cebu City on March 18, 2026, to call for the abolition of VAT and excise taxes on fuel, and urge the DOE to regulate oil prices. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER

‘Out of order’ signs cover fuel pumps at a petrol station in Sydney, Australia, on March 19, 2026. PHOTO BY HOLLIE ADAMS/REUTERS

Fans of K-pop group BTS pose for photographs with an advertisement promoting ‘BTS The Comeback Live Arirang’ concert in central Seoul, South Korea, on March 19, 2026. PHOTO BY KIM HONG-JI/REUTERS

Models rehearse before the HEAVEN GAIA collection show by Ying Xiong, during the China Fashion Week in Beijing, China, on March 20, 2026. PHOTO BY TINGSHU WANG/REUTERS

NASA’s next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System rocket with the Orion crew capsule, rolls again to Pad 39B for a second launch attempt at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 20, 2026. PHOTO BY JOE SKIPPER/REUTERS

Muslim worshippers attend Eid’l Fitr prayers, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, outside a mosque on a frosty morning in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on March 20, 2026. PHOTO BY VLADISLAV NEKRASOV/REUTERS

– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com

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