18/04/2026
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ
โCommon sense na lang. Walang-awa.โ These were the words Maria had received from the Jeepney Driver after she asked for proof of the P35 to P40 fare hike for her commute to school.
The Jeepney, also known as Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ), is the king of the Philippine roads. PUJs have become the preferred mode of public transportation for commuters like Maria. Itโs accessible, plentiful, and most importantly, the cheapest option there is. However, amid the oil hike crisis stirring up the nation, the cost of public transportation fares remains the same. As a result, PUJ drivers take survival-driven measures, leading to growing tension with commuters on the roads.
PUJ drivers and commuters are left to deal with the incompetence of those in power. Time and time again, the government has stuck with short-term plans and reactive responses, proving their reputation in band-aid solutions and words with no follow-through. This is why the nation often has zero cushion when it comes to crises of this nature and scale, leaving the most vulnerable groups of society, such as the working class and the poor, to figure it out and fend for themselves. However, commuters and jeepney drivers are not the real enemies; We are merely puppets strung to the same administration, fumbling around their mistakes.
๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Before the oil crisis, drivers were earning around P1000 pesos daily, more or less, depending on the dayโs volume of passengers. Now, after toiling for more than 10 hours per day from 5 AM to 9 PM, their regular take-home pay is roughly P200. A big fall back from their previous earnings.
To compensate, drivers and Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) associations across the nation are trying various methods to stay afloat during difficult times. Transport strikes, โvoluntary fare-hikesโ, taking on extra jobs as construction workers and mechanics, and adopting an odd-even scheme where odd-ending plates operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while even-ending plates operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
In Zamboanga City, some PUJ drivers have even resorted to unauthorized fare hikes to adapt to the surge in fuel prices. In return, this affects commuters, especially students, who often have limited budgets and are also dealing with the spike in daily expenses. Because most driversโ daily earnings go to fuel and boundary fees, the irony is that this small fare hike only weighs heavily on studentsโ wallets, but it barely scratches the wallets of Jeepney drivers.
๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ง๐จ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ -๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฌ
To protect commuters amid inflation, President Ferdinand โBongBongโ Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to suspend the increase of public transportation fares. As part of the governmentโs relief measures, Marcos announced providing financial assistance to PUV drivers, and โLibreng Sakayโ along with discounts in major rail systems like MRT and LRT for commuters.
However, these surface-level responses only provide temporary, one-time relief. Their effects are not widespread across the country and only reach certain individuals and cities. Instead of giving out cash aid, the government should prioritize decisions that would have long-term and pervasive effects, such as temporarily suspending the excise tax on Diesel and Gasoline products. But since the government gains profit from these taxes, this decision remains shelved despite calls from the people.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐
๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฒ
The roots of this crisis are international, which eventually rippled its way to our doorsteps. If the government, both current and past, had been future-oriented, taken preventive measures for state emergencies, and had the peopleโs welfare in mind, all of this could have been handled differently. But the uncomfortable truth is, it would not have made such an impact as it did on our economy if drivers and commuters had realized we are more involved than we think. Not just in getting to our destinations day-to-day, and in providing livelihood, but also in choosing the people in power. This is the direct consequence of us consistently rewarding mediocrity and incompetence. And maybe these oil and fare hikes are the price we pay for failing to elect capable leaders. This is our ultimate price.
Words by Zaid Ahmad Khan Abdusalam
Artwork by Hannah Faye Villaceran and Claedy Josh Marcelino
