Holy Week exodus underway amid higher fuel prices and fares, fewer trips

Filipinos headed to the roads, the airports, the seaports and the bus terminals on Sunday for trips back their hometowns for Holy Week, amid rising fuel prices and trip cancellations.

With its cooler climate, Baguio City remains one of the top destinations for the holidays. In Bea Pinlac’s report in “24 Oras Weekend,” Mae Sabiniano and her friends made a stopover in Pangasinan, where the gas is a bit cheaper, while on their way to the country's Summer Capital. They brought their own vehicle and all chipped in for a full tank of gas. 

“Kung sakaling mangko-commute ka, mas mahal tapos wala rin gaanong masakyan. Kaya mas preferred namin na sariling kotse,” said Sabiniano. 

(If you were to commute, it’s more expensive and there aren't many rides available anyway. That’s why we preferred using our own car.) 

In Baguio City, the per liter price of diesel is currently P136.45, compared to the P120.10 per liter being offered in Quezon City gas stations. 

Meanwhile, Queenie Roxas and her friends took a bus from Pasay all the way to Baguio City. While the bus was not crowded, they had to pay almost P700 each for their bus tickets. 

“Mabigat rin po, but na-plan na kasi at napaglaanan na po. Expected na mahal kasi tumaas yung gas,” she shared. 

(It’s quite a heavy [financial] burden, but it was already planned and we set aside a budget for it. We expected it to be expensive because gas prices went up.) 

The Baguio City local government unit earlier said that it has observed a 30% to 50% reduction in bus trips to the city due to the high oil prices. Bus drivers also noticed lesser visitors this time. 

“Malaki talaga yung tinumal ng biyahe. Kasi last year halos pagdating namin ng terminal, balik agad kasi maraming pasahero. Eh ngayon, wala talaga. Pagkakaunti ang pasahero, ita-transfer namin sa susunod na bus,” said bus driver Samuel Koffa Jr. 

(The number of trips has really slumped. Last year, as soon as we reached the terminal, we’d head back immediately because there were so many passengers. Now, there’s really no one. If there are too few passengers, we just transfer them to the next bus.) 

Long lines at NAIA 

On the other hand, there are long queues at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for domestic and international flights. 

In Darlene Cay’s report, some passengers arrived at the airport early due to the expected influx of passengers. For instance, Jaymhar Ancheta and his companions arrived before lunch even though their flight to Cagayan de Oro is still at 6 p.m. 

“Ngayon po, lalong lalo na magho-Holy Week, ine-expect ko talaga na magkakaroon ng traffic and sobrang dami talagang tao,” he said. 

(Now, especially since it’s Holy Week, I really expect that there will be traffic and the crowds will be huge.) 

Meanwhile, there are passengers who lament the higher air fares brought by the rising oil prices. 

“Sa normal, nakaka-book kami, dalawa na, is around P3,500. Pero ngayon, yung na-book namin is P7,600. So doble talaga yung naging increase,” said Aiza Altubar, who is bound for Davao. 

(Normally, we can book two people for around ₱3,500. But now, what we booked is P7,600. So the increase was really double.) 

Likewise, Cathie Esmeriz and her family spent over P30,000 each for their roundtrip tickets to Thailand. 

“Walang magawa. No choice. Kaya lang kasi para maging masaya yung family,” she said. 

(There’s nothing we can do. No choice. It’s just to make the family happy.) 

The increase in fuel surcharges for domestic and international flights will take effect on April 1, due to the rising prices of petroleum products. 

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the impact of the rising fuel prices won’t be immediately felt in airports.  

“Sa tingin ko this week, wala pa tayong nakikitang pagbabago kahit tumaas na ang fuel dahil na rin sa situation sa Middle East. Wala akong nakikitang hihina at nabili na ang mga tickets niyan in advance eh,” said CAAP spokesperson  Eric Apolonio. 

(I think we won’t see any changes this week even if fuel prices have risen due to the situation in the Middle East. I don’t see [demand] weakening since those tickets were bought in advance.) 

Batangas Port 

The situation in sea ports are no different as passengers board for their trips for the Holy Week. 

In Bam Alegre’s report, there were long lines in the ticketing booth of Batangas Port. Passengers had to wait for hours to get tickets. 

While shipping companies implemented a fare hike, there were also some who had to reduce their trips amid the crisis. 

Pepito Pulita had to stay overnight at the sea port while waiting for available trips going to Romblon. 

“Oras na lang po hihintay namin para makakuha ng ticket, tapos maghihintay na lang kami kung anong oras po aalis ang barko,” he said. 

(We are just waiting for the time to get a ticket, then we’ll just wait for whatever time the ship departs.) 

PITX 

At the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), passengers lament the high bus fares. 

In Vonne Aquino’s report, a bus ticket seller asked for understanding about the fare hike and other fees. 

“Nung una po kasi, nung hindi pa nagtaas ang krudo, mura lang po talaga ang pamasahe namin. Kaso bigla pong nag-hike nang sobrang taas po, hindi na po kinaya ng bus. Kaya sobrang taas din nang tinaas namin,” the seller said. 

(Before, when fuel prices hadn't gone up yet, our fares were really cheap. But then the prices hiked so high that the bus [operations] couldn't handle it anymore. That’s why we increased our rates by so much as well.) 

But the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said the PITX should have not implemented a fare hike on provincial buses after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier ordered the suspension of fare hikes on public utility vehicles. 

The PITX, on the other hand, said that more people resorted to public transportation, hence, the influx of passengers in the bus hub. — BM, GMA Integrated News