Thousands of kilometers from the Philippines, renewed hostilities between the United States (US) and Iran rattled the global oil market as concerns over possible disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threatened one of the world’s major oil shipping routes. Within days, local fuel markets announced price adjustments—a familiar cycle that the transportation sector has learned to fear. 

During the height of the surge, diesel and gasoline prices rose to nearly ₱150 per liter, a dramatic price shift of almost triple their usual cost. For local public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers like John Nico Gutierrez, every increase in global oil prices eventually reaches his hometown, Cavite, where another day’s income disappears before his first passenger boards. 

Calls to reform the Oil Deregulation Law resurfaced following the latest oil hikes. Consumers and the transport sector alike argue that the current policies on price regulation leaves the country vulnerable to volatile fuel prices whenever geopolitical conflicts disrupt global oil supply. 

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 8479, or the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998, the government has limited authority to regulate the pricing, importation, and exportation of private oil companies. In effect, oil firms largely adjust prices based on movements in the global market, which critics say leaves consumers vulnerable to sudden hikes.

For Gutierrez, however, the issue is not just about the oil market and its conglomerates, but whether his day’s labor can still provide enough to feed a family of five. 

“Ayun, dati maganda-ganda nakaka-₱1000 to ₱1,500 [araw-araw]… Dati kumikita kami ng ₱500, ₱600—ngayon wala, nabawasan. Naging ₱300 na lang, minsan nga ₱200, ₱150. Hindi pare-pareho… lalo na nu’ng ₱150 ang diesel,” Gutierrez said in an exclusive interview with The HERALDO FILIPINO. 

The 37-year-old driver from Cavite has been riding the roads for half of his life. 

The shrinking income becomes clearer in the cost of every trip. Before diesel prices climbed, Gutierrez said completing one Imus–Dasmariñas round trip required only about ₱250 worth of fuel. Today, the same trip consumes nearly ₱400. The additional ₱150 may seem small beside the total price displayed at fuel stations, but multiplied across an entire day’s operation, it significantly reduces what drivers take home.

“Dati ‘yung isang biyahe ko, ang naikakarga ko ng diesel ₱250 lang. Sa ngayon kulang-kulang ₱400. Kung makaapat na biyahe ako, e ‘di sayang ‘yung kita ko na ‘yun—₱600 nawala sa akin na kita,” he said.

His solution to make up for the loss is to remain on the road longer. What used to be four trips a day has become six whenever traffic and passenger volume allow it. Yet even extending his working hours has rarely restored his previous earnings because every additional trip also requires another tank of diesel.

At home, the effects reveal themselves through changes in the family’s spending habits. The estimated ₱300 reduction in his daily earnings could have been money allotted to buy a couple more kilos of rice or larger portions of viand. Instead, it goes to rising fuel costs. 

“‘Yung dati nakakabili kami ng kalahating kaban [ng bigas]; ngayon tigdadalawang kilo na lang, isang kilo. Dati nakakabili pa ako ng kalahating kaban eh, kada… isang buwan, nakakaipon kami. Ngayon, talagang ‘di kami makaipon sa taas ng diesel,” he shared. 

Rice is no longer bought by the half sack, but in one- or two-kilogram quantities whenever the family has enough money. Whatever could once be set aside in savings now goes straight to daily expenses.

Meanwhile, his partner, Risa Biduya, now budgets every peso before it is spent.

“Bina-budget talaga. Araw-araw nagtatabi ako ng pambayad ng kuryente, tubig, saka pangkain. Sumasakto lang lahat,” she said.

Little remains after covering the essentials. Shopping has become a luxury, while family celebrations have been quietly postponed because of financial constraints. Even their three children’s school supplies have yet to be purchased, while Biduya supplements the household income by selling cooking oil on the side to help shoulder educational expenses.

“Hindi na kami makapag-shopping. Dati nakakapaglaboy-laboy pa kami. Birthday, nailalabas pa namin. Ngayon hindi na,” Gutierrez said.

Even preparing meals has also become more expensive. According to the family, a large LPG cylinder that previously cost around ₱800 to ₱900 now costs nearly ₱1,400, forcing them to stretch every refill by occasionally buying cooked food instead of using their stove every day.

“Minsan bili na lang kami ng lutong ulam para makatipid sa gas. Hindi kami araw-araw gumagamit ng gasul kasi kapag naubusan ka, hindi ka makakabili agad,” he explained.

The same pattern follows him back to the jeep. Routine maintenance has likewise become more expensive. Rubber parts that previously sold for ₱20 now cost around ₱50, while engine oil that once cost about ₱110 has climbed to as much as ₱230, depending on the brand.

Some days, even careful budgeting falls short.

“Walang choice, eh. Kapag kailangan ng pambayad ng kuryente at hindi mo nakuha sa pasada, uutang ka na lang,” Gutierrez admitted, explaining that he occasionally borrows money and repays it through daily installments deducted from future earnings.

Despite the mounting expenses, Gutierrez said financial assistance is not the long-term solution drivers have been hoping for whenever fuel prices surge.

For him, lower diesel prices mean lower operating costs and fewer compromises at home.

“Ayaw namin ng ayuda. Basta bumaba lang ang presyo ng diesel. Ibalik lang sa dati,” Gutierrez stressed.

No man is an island

The burden of rising fuel prices has also reshaped the relationships built along the route. Some passengers have begun leaving their change behind after paying the minimum fare, while others simply ask to be taken home despite having not enough money to pay—unspoken understanding sitting in between every “Para!” and “Bayad ho!”

“Kaya ngayon, ‘yung iba [ay] nakakaintindi, nagbibigay na ng ₱15, ‘di na kinukuha ‘yung sukli… Mayro’n talagang pasahero [na] tama lang [ang] bayad, mayro’ng sobra… minsan kulang ang bayad sa amin, ‘di na nga namin sinisingil. Kasi kami, nakakaintindi naman kami. Sabi lang sa’min na, ‘Kuya, wala akong pamasahe.’ Sige, pumasok ka, sumakay ka na. ‘Di ko na kinukuha [ang] bayad, walang pera eh, paano gagawin? Makauwi lang, ‘yon lang,” he shared.

The same understanding, Gutierrez said, has extended beyond passengers. Although some drivers operating along their route still risk being apprehended, he observed that traffic enforcers have also shown leniency at times, recognizing the difficult conditions many transport workers face.

“Bigayan na lang, unawaan na lang,” he said.

While drivers, passengers, and even some traffic enforcers find ways to absorb the daily burden among themselves, transport groups argue that long-term solutions remain beyond what ordinary Filipinos can provide on their own.

What experts say

Recent increases in local fuel prices have been attributed by the Department of Energy (DOE) to movements in the global oil market, concerns over oil supply, fluctuations in the peso-dollar exchange rate, and the escalating conflict in the Middle East. 

Heightened tensions involving the US, Israel, and Iran have increased uncertainty in the global energy market, with the Department of Finance (DOF) warning that possible disruptions to oil production and major shipping routes could drive crude oil prices even higher.

As a country that imports most of its petroleum supply, the Philippines remains vulnerable to these developments, with the DOF noting that changes in the international market are quickly reflected in domestic fuel prices.

The DOE, under RA No. 8479, explained that local oil companies adjust pump prices based on movements in the international market, while government intervention is generally limited to fuel subsidy programs and staggered fuel price adjustments.

This has prompted transport groups such as the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) to renew calls for reforms, lamenting that consecutive fuel price hikes continue to reduce the daily earnings of jeepney drivers, and that occasional price rollbacks provide little to no relief as operating costs continue to rise. 

PISTON also called on the government to strengthen its support for transport workers, arguing that many existing measures have yet to adequately address the impact of unstable fuel prices on PUV drivers.

Genuine reform

As lawmakers and transport groups continue debating reforms to the country’s oil pricing policies, Gutierrez continues driving the same Imus–Dasmariñas route he has served since he was 18 years old. Now 37, driving remains the only livelihood he has ever known.

“‘Pag tumigil ako, wala nang makakain ang pamilya ko,” he said when asked whether he had considered giving up the jeepney altogether. Having finished only elementary school, leaving the driver’s seat has never felt like a realistic option.

Amid volatile oil prices and continuing geopolitical tensions, Gutierrez and Biduya have settled into the same routine. Every morning, he drives the same route. Every afternoon, his wife budgets whatever income he brings home. Each fuel price adjustment continues to affect how much food reaches their table and whether another bill must first be paid through borrowed money.

After years of watching diesel prices climb, Gutierrez said drivers have stopped asking for temporary relief.

“Wala kaming nakuha, natanggap [na ayuda]… Kahit na wala nang ayuda, basta maibaba lang ‘yung presyo ng diesel, ibalik lang sa dati,” he pleaded. 

John no longer measures hope by another round of subsidies or one-time assistance. For him, relief begins with something far less complicated: cheaper diesel. 

Enough to buy rice by the sack again instead of by the kilo. Enough to replace borrowed money with savings. Enough to celebrate his children’s birthdays without counting every peso. Enough to end each day’s route knowing that more of what he earned made it home than what was left behind at the gas station.

Photo slider by Cedric Labajo

Originally published in Heraldo Filipino Volume 40, Issue 2