Gabriela calls for tax relief amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East

Members of women’s group Gabriela stage a rally outside the Department of Finance in Manila on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, demanding the removal of what they describe as burdensome value-added and excise taxes amid rising tensions in the Middle East. The protest ended with them throwing rotten goods and paint at the department’s logo to symbolize what the group describes as a “rotten” economic blueprint marked by overlapping and regressive taxes.