Jeepney driver skips lunch to take home P300 amid 3-digit diesel price

There are still a few weeks left before Holy Week, but it seems many Filipinos are already performing penitence because of the mega oil price hike.

In Jonathan Andal’s report in “24 Oras” on Tuesday, the 3-digit price of diesel today no longer fit on the gas station's digital price board. The prices are now being updated manually.

According to data gathered by GMA Integrated News Research, this is the very first time in Metro Manila that the price of diesel has exceeded P100 per liter.

This also the first time that Elmer Tano experienced such an oil price hike in the three decades he has been a jeepney driver. 

“Imbes na kumita sana ako ng mga P700 ngayon, P300 na lang mauuwi ko,” he said.  

(Instead of potentially earning around P700 today, I’m only taking home P300.)

“Dalawa na lang ako kumakain eh. Sa umaga lang, sa kagabi na lang eh. Mag meryenda na lang ako sa tanghali. Kasi kung kainan pa nimo, wala na. Kasi mahal ang bilihin na talaga pag kumain ka eh,” he added. 

(I only eat twice now—just in the morning and at night. I just have a small snack at noon. If you still choose to eat [a full lunch], there’s nothing left. Prices are just so high when you go out to eat.) 

Elmer earns P1,500 from half a day of driving. It's only half a day because there are two drivers taking shifts to drive a single jeepney every day.

Each of them pays P450 for the “boundary.” Elmer spent over P800 on diesel for his three round trips earlier on the Project 2 and 3 to Welcome Rotonda route—leaving him with a take-home pay of only P300.

He will have to stretch the P300 for his own food, as well as for the allowance he sends to Angono, Rizal for his wife and their child who is in college.

“Sabi ko, magtipid-tipid ka lang muna, nak.’ Hindi nga ako nagpadala ngayong linggo kasi siyempre. Minsan, P300 lang sumusobra ko. Sabi ko, hindi lang ako magpadala. Ipunin ko lang muna bago ko ipadala,” said Elmer. 

(I told her, 'Just try to save as much as you can for now, child.' I actually wasn't able to send anything this week because, sometimes I only have P300 left over. I told myself I just won't send it yet. I'll save it up first before I send it over.) 

Elmer says he also just sleeps inside the jeepney while in Quezon City, because he feels it’s a waste of money to pay for the fare just to go home to Rizal.

His plan now is to appeal to their operator to at least reduce their “boundary.”

“Kasi yung boundary namin P900 talaga. Kahit P700 na lang, yung P200 para idagdag na lang sa diesel,” said Elmer. 

(Our boundary is actually P900. If it could just be P700, that [saved] P200 could be added to the fuel budget instead.) 

The government's current response is aid, or a fuel subsidy of five thousand pesos each, for every public utility vehicle driver.

But those like Elmer say that isn't what they need right now.

“Kahit ibalik na lang sana sa P50 yung diesel, kahit wala na kaming ayuda. Kasi yung P5,000, balewala lang yun. Sa araw-araw naming pagbiyahe,” he said. 

(I wish they would just bring diesel back down to P50, even if we don't get any more aid. That P5,000 is nothing. Not with how much we drive every single day.) 

Elmer is aware that the war in the Middle East is the reason for the current spike in fuel prices.He just never imagined that the clash between big nations would hit the smallest members of society the hardest.

Now, more than ever, they say they need the government's help. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News