News Roundup 08 June 2022

Joseph Guerrero in News and Updates

Jun 08, 2022 • 4 min Read

Drivers, riders share brunt of fuel price surge | INQUIRER.NET – Ethel Sorongon, a Grade 2 teacher at a public elementary school in Quezon City, used to spend P5,000 a month on fuel. Sorongon’s home in Nagkaisang Nayon, Quezon City, is only about 7 kilometers away from the school where she teaches, but she invested in a car because “if I take the [usual route for commuters], I would be late for work.” But with the spiraling cost of gasoline and diesel, she now has to budget P10,000 for fuel alone. “Instead of saving the extra money from my [monthly] salary, there would be nothing left because my gas expenses almost doubled,” she said in a phone interview. “It’s hard, especially since I am a teacher,” Sorongon lamented, adding that if it was not for her husband’s help meeting their monthly dues, she would have gone back to commuting again. However, commuters and public utility drivers are in no better position than Sorongon’s and suffer just the same. Along Commonwealth Avenue, one of Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares, long lines of commuters are a common sight due to the lack of public utility vehicles (PUVs) and jeepneys, which a transport group said was a result of skyrocketing prices of fuel. The Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) noted that people were finding it hard to get a ride to go to work despite the government’s “Libreng Sakay” program. For Piston deputy secretary general Ruben Baylon, this was their observation because transport workers, particularly drivers, have been forced to quit their day jobs due to the continuous rise in fuel prices. He said the lack of PUVs and jeepneys could be caused by drivers choosing to quit because the additional fuel costs had eaten up all their earnings. This was exacerbated by the fact that commuters chose to avail themselves of the “Libreng Sakay” program, which the Piston leader acknowledged was logical since passengers would save money on public transportation. “It’s a heavy toll that we are taking. None of us wanted this but the drivers can no longer afford this,” Baylon told the Inquirer, as he renewed their call to suspend the fuel excise and even the repeal of the oil deregulation law.

P10 is new PUJ minimum fare in NCR, Central Luzon, Calabarzon starting June 9 | INQUIRER.NET – Starting June 9, minimum fare in public utility jeepneys (PUJ) would be P10 as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved Wednesday the P1 provisional hike. The fare increase will cover PUJs operating in Metro Manila, Region 3 (Central Luzon), and Region 4 (Calabarzon), as stated in an order signed by LTFRB chair Martin Delgra III on June 8. “Upon careful consideration, finding the Omnibus Motion for Consideration and to Suspend Proceedings to be meritorious and pursuant to Section 5 (c) of Executive Order No. 202 in relation to Section 16 (c) of the Commonwealth Act 146 otherwise known as ‘The Public Service Act’ as amended, the Board hereby resolved to consider, lift and set aside the Order dated 21 March 2022 and GRANTS the prayer for ONE PESOS (P1.00) PROVISIONAL FARE INCREASE,” the order states. According to the LTFRB, while it recognizes the “plight” of the public every time an increase in commodity prices such as public transport occurs, “it cannot be insensitive to the clamor and plight of the PUV operators and drivers who are responsible [for] ensuring a steady supply of public transport services.” It noted that it is the PUJs that carry the most number of commuters on a daily basis. “It is the mandate and duty of the LTFRB to judiciously balance the economic viability of the industry versus the welfare of the riding public,” said the LTFRB.

DOE expects more fuel price increases in the coming weeks | PHILSTAR.COM – Consumers and motorists will likely have to brace for more rounds of fuel price increases in the coming weeks, according to an Energy department official. Earlier this week, local oil companies announced price increases of P2.7 per liter for gas, P6.55 per liter for diesel and P5.45 per liter for kerosene. “Tuloy tuloy na pagtaas ay may expectation po tayo na mangyayari at mangyayari sa mga susunod ng weeks. Wala po tayong nakikitang event — sana may dumating — na siyang mag-ooffset nung push nitong mga event na ‘to na tuloy tuloy na nagiincrease ng ating price,” Department of Energy Oil Industry Management Bureau Director Rino Abad said in an interview on GMA Network’s Unang Balita on Wednesday. (We expect that there will be a continuous increase in the coming weeks. We don’t see any event- we hope that there will be one- which will offset the increase in prices.) Some factors that will contribute to the surge in demand are: The ongoing war waged by Russia against Ukraine, the European Union ban on Russian oil imports, and the summer season in various countries in the Northern hemisphere. Abad explained that the lockdown in China’s financial hub Shanghai as part of the country’s efforts to curb COVID-19 also contributed to the fuel price rollbacks in the past weeks.