ILOILO – The prohibitive cost of fuel has made it difficult for jeepney drivers to sustain the daily needs of their families. They could even barely make enough money to pay rent to jeepney operators.
Time to look for alternative work.
Some jeepney drivers have found pedaling trisikads just fine – the rent is low and there’s no need to refuel in gas stations, according to Raymundo Parcon, president of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC).
Others opted to work as company or family drivers, he revealed.
“Indi na nila kaya magbakal diesel. Nagaka-short sila. So instead nga biyahe sila sang dyip, biyahe na lang sila sikad kay wala na ya gasoline. Iban nag-private na lang, iban nag-construction na lang,” said Parcon.
Fuel prices have been increasing almost on a weekly basis since January of this year. Just this Tuesday, March 8, gas prices further soared by as much as P3.80 per liter of gasoline and by P5.50 per liter of diesel.
Parcon said some “10 percent” of jeepney drivers stopped working after Tuesday’s big-time fuel hike.
Now, he said, diesel cost P62.63 per liter and gasoline, P68 per liter, in Iloilo City.
In Iloilo province , it’s P70 per liter of gasoline, said Parcon.
He urged the national government through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Department of Energy (DOE) to suspend the value-added tax and excise on fuel, which he described as the better alternative to fare increase.
“Kon tutokan namon ang fare hike makululuoy ang aton mga pasahero. Imagine mo, magsaka sa P2.50, masakit na ina sa aton nga mga pasahero. Ikaduha ang aton nga goods halin sa mga probinsya kon dal-on sa syudad ma-mahal man ina kay ti masaka ang plete,” said Parcon.
SUBSIDY FOR DRIVERS
Meanwhile, an official of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) stressed the importance of government subsidies in helping address the impact of rising fuel prices on the public.
NEDA undersecretary Rosemarie Edillion said the government has allocated under this year’s national budget a P2.5-billion fuel subsidies for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators and a P500 million subsidy for the agriculture sector.
She said NEDA is requesting for an increase in the amount of subsidies to P5 billion for the transport sector and to P1.1 billion for the agriculture sector.
She, however, said they need to wait for the March 2022 fiscal report to check if there will an increase in revenue collections, which will be tapped for the additional subsidies.
Edillion also said authorities are closely monitoring latest developments on prices and noted that while fuel prices have posted upticks in recent weeks the rate of price increases last February remained tame.
Inflation rate in the second month this year remained at three percent just like in the previous month but monetary authorities, among others, expect acceleration in the coming months as price of oil in the international market continues to jump.
Edillion said because of the February 2022 inflation outcome authorities want to ensure adequate food supply, which account for the largest share in the consumer price index (CPI) basket.
She said fuel products like the liquified petroleum gas (LPG) as well as energy and then transport also account for a big chunk in the CPI.
“Kaya dito nga po nakaabang iyong subsidiya ng gobyerno to make sure na mai-maintain natin na mababa ang presyo nitong mga ito,” she added. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
