16/04/2026
𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗟 | 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲
Every announcement of oil price increase is just another news bit for most people. But for jeepney drivers, every peso added per liter is a blow that hits straight to their pockets, straight to their tables.
They have no safety nets. No fixed salary, no benefits, no extra funds to absorb extra costs. Most work under the boundary system: first they earn to pay the unit owner, then pay for fuel and maintenance. Whatever is left after all that is what they bring home to feed their family, pay bills, send kids to school. That is already a thin margin to survive on.
When fuel costs go up, that already small margin shrinks even more. Every hike translates to hundreds of pesos in additional expenses daily money that does not come from extra profit, but is taken directly from what should be their take-home pay.
They cannot just pass the cost to commuters right away. Fare adjustments take months of hearings, reviews and bureaucratic process before it gets approved. In between, the entire loss falls on them.
So they make hard choices. They work 12 to 14 hours instead of 10 just to earn the same amount. They skip meals to save money. They cut trips short when running the jeep becomes too costly. They overload passengers just to make ends meet. They delay much-needed repairs just to save a few pesos, even if it means risking safety.
They are the ones who keep our cities and towns moving. They carry us to work, school, and our destinations every single day. Yet every time prices go up, they are left unprotected, left to struggle on their own.
Oil price hikes are not just numbers on gas station signs. They are heavy burdens placed on the shoulders of hardworking people who already have so little to spare.
They do not ask for special treatment. They only ask to be able to work honestly and earn enough to live decently. It is only right that we see their struggle, and that they are not left to carry this weight alone.
