PISTON said the relentless surge in oil prices continues to put significant financial burden on jeepney drivers, with estimates suggesting a loss of about Php 5,000 since October due to the skyrocketing fuel costs. Diesel prices have surged by Php 7.25 since the beginning of October, with the latest big-time increase reaching Php 2.10 per liter. Consequently, jeepney drivers are now incurring daily fuel expenses of approximately Php 1,700.
PISTON National President and Makabayan Senatorial Candidate Mody Floranda expressed grave concern over the Marcos Jr. administration’s fiscal policies, stating, “We have long been calling for the removal of taxes on fuel that are further burdening drivers and consumers, but it seems that Marcos only cares about appeasing billionaires and multinational corporations.”
The group noted that the additional excise taxes under TRAIN and the value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products make fuel more expensive, compounded by the volatile global prices and foreign exchange rates. Jeepney drivers and poor Filipino households are the ones who suffer the most from these consumption taxes, while billionaires continue to benefit from tax breaks under the Marcos Jr. administration.
PISTON said the government is not totally helpless with regard to rising oil prices and that it could lessen the burden of the poorest Filipino families if it wants to. It could suspend in the short term the excise taxes imposed under TRAIN and the VAT to bring fuel prices down. It could also push for transparency by unbundling fuel prices to check for profiteering and by demanding fuel inventory data from oil companies.
In the long term, PISTON said the government should revive its regulating powers over the oil industry, which it gave up under the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998.
“How can we achieve this? We need all drivers, operators, commuters, and Filipino families to continuously organize, unite, and protest against the suffering deliberately inflicted by the government and corporations. We need organizations, alliances, and unions. We need more protests and strikes,” added Floranda.