BY: ANGELICA ARQUERO
Every day, Tatay Narciso drives his route from the central business district to Barangay Bakakeng Central.
He shares that this job is his only source of income to provide for his family’s needs.
But with the continuous increase in fuel prices, most of his earnings now go toward diesel.
When he learned that fuel prices would increase by 2 pesos tomorrow, January 21, he felt devastated.
“Drivers will surely complain about this. Yes, we even have to pay out of our own pocket sometimes. And if you don’t drive, you’ll get into trouble,” said Narciso Bigay, a driver.
Other drivers, like Joji, also shared their struggles.
“Our weekly budget is already exceeding what it used to be. I just hope the prices won’t keep going up, they should go down instead. It would be good to hear about lower prices,” said Joji Mangisen, a driver.
Some drivers have accepted the situation but have adjusted their lifestyle to cope.
“It is what it is. You just have to endure and save more when buying fuel,” said Jason, a driver.
“It’s already tough to drive, and now fuel prices are going up even more. They should bring the prices down,” said Rey, a driver.
To save on costs, some drivers, like Oliver, choose to refuel at stations where prices are lower.
According to the Department of Energy, this price increase is due to new sanctions imposed by the United States and the United Kingdom on Russia.
This marks the third fuel price hike this January.
