Thousands of drivers strike in the Philippines over rising fuel prices

Transport workers blame US-Israel war on Iran for rising fuel prices as government offers free rides for commuters.Thousands of drivers of informal public transport vehicles have stopped work in the Philippines in protest against rising fuel prices, prompting the government to deploy police officers and buses to help stranded commuters.The two-day strike, organised by Piston, a transport workers’ union, began on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Philippine president declares energy emergency as impact of Iran war feltlist 2 of 3Photos: Manila’s streets empty as fuel prices surge amid Hormuz crisislist 3 of 3Philippine transport strikers say Marcos Jr failing to control oil pricesend of listProtesters want fuel prices cut to 55 pesos ($0.88) a litre, the level before the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February. Organisers said that at least 70,000 drivers and operators would take part in the strike.National police spokesman Allen Rae Co said officials had monitored 11 rallies involving 275 people in Manila and that the strike had not caused a significant disruption in the capital region.He said 8,643 police personnel were deployed to ...