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US-Israel-Iran conflict disrupts global air travel
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
THOUSANDS of flights have been delayed or cancelled, causing the biggest disruption to global air transport since the Covid pandemic as airlines suspend services to the Middle East following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Next page
VOL. XL • NO. 20 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2026 •
Cheers, music, anger: Iran’s Khamenei killed Trump warns vs. retaliation; Strait of Hormuz closed
No reported Pinoy casualties; DMW offers voluntary OFW repatriation By Katrina Manubay, Vito Barcelo, and Ram Superable PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Sunday there was no report of Filipino casualties in the exchange of airstrikes involving Iran, the United States, and Israel over the weekend. Nonetheless, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it has Next page
By Agence France Presse
C
HEERS in Tehran. Retaliation and mourning by Iran. Protests in some parts of the Muslim world, celebrations in others.
The world greeted with jubilation, anger or trepidation the news Sunday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic one day earlier. Iranians took to the streets
• Escalation
fears mount • UN calls for end to fighting
cheering with joy, setting off fireworks and playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei's death, according to witnesses and video footage verified by Agence France Presse. Next page
JUBILATION AND PROTEST. Members of the Iranian community, top photo, hold up a portrait of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late shah of Iran, as they wave flags and chant slogans during a rally celebrating the death of Iran supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in Sydney even as Shiite Muslims gather during an anti-US and Israel protest, left photo, in Srinagar, India. AFP
DOE: Fuel prices may spike by P2/l as global shipping firms shun strait By Alena Mae Flores
FLOWER FESTIVAL. Baguio City holds the annual
Panagbenga parade of floats yesterday featuring platforms bedecked with a wide variety of colorful flowers, left photo, and street dances, inset, led by lovely lasses. The Panagbenga Festival, or Baguio Flower Festival, runs from Feb. 1 to March 8 in the mountain resort city Baguio City. Dave Leprozo, Edd Castro
PH, China holds talks anew on WPS in Beijing By Katrina Manubay THE Philippines and China held another round of discussions in Beijing aimed at addressing prevailing bilateral concerns and identifying ways to advance mutually
beneficial cooperation, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday. In a statement, both sides had an “open and candid” exchange of views on prevailing bilateral concerns, following initial talks held in Cebu on
House begins VP Sara’s impeach hearings today on 3 complaints By Rio N. Araja THE House of Representatives’ Committee on Justice will convene at 10 a.m. today to begin deliberations on four verified impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, formally initiating the constitutional process to determine whether the cases advance to a Senate trial.
The hearings are scheduled March 2, 3 and 4 at the People’s Center in Congress, according to a Feb. 24 notice issued by committee chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro. The agenda is limited to the “initial consideration” of the complaints, specifically the determination of sufficiency in form and substance. Next page
THE Department of Energy (DOE) on Sunday warned of possible fuel price spikes in the Philippines – of as much as two pesos per liter this week – after Iran moved to close the Strait of Hormuz amid its escalating hostilities with the United States and Israel. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the Philippines, while not directly involved in the conflict, imports petroleum products that pass through the strategic waterway. “Although the Philippines might not be in the middle of the fireworks, our country buys petroleum products passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
We are one in this world. Problems happening halfway across the globe affect us,” Garin said. Industry players said any prolonged disruption would quickly feed into global oil prices. Leo Bellas, president of Jetti Petroleum, warned of a possible “jump in world oil prices” when trading resumes, noting that risk premiums had already been factored into current levels due to months of geopolitical tension. “Latest developments are seen to push prices much higher,” Bellas said, adding that local gasoline prices could “reach or even breach P2 per liter” in the coming adjustment. Next page
January 29. “Both sides had an open and candid exchange of views on prevailing bilateral concerns, and explored ways to advance mutually beneficial cooperation,” the statement read. Next page
Early cancer detection bill pushed in House By Rio N. Araja LEYTE Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is pushing for the passage of a bill that aims to reduce cancer deaths among Filipinos through early detection programs. Next page
ALL OUT FOR FIRE PREVENTION MONTH. SM Prime, together
with the Bureau of Fire Protection, goes all out as they kick off Fire Prevention Month 2026 with a parade at SM Mall of Asia as a reminder to everyone to stay ready, stay protected, and keep safety top of mind.