By Chaela Loren
MALOLOS, BULACAN — Despite the P2.00 oil price rollback seen this week, jeepney drivers still struggle to keep up as prices of goods in the market are continuously increasing.
Photo by Chaela Loren, KALASAG
Ariel Marasigan, a 49-years old whose livelihood depended on being a jeepney driver for 22 years in Bulacan, was among the drivers in the province who are facing the everyday worries of surviving a day with his family.
"Mahirap bilang isang [jeepney] driver dahil mahal ang diesel. Dati nagkokonsumo ka lang nang 500 [pesos], ngayon ay 900 [pesos]. Malaki ang nababawas sa kita," he said when asked about the effects of oil price hike in his income.
"Kaya kung ano lang 'yung pera, 'yun lang ang pagkakasyahin. Kung ano lang ang kita ko, 'yun lang ang naiuuwi ko sa bahay," he added.
This 2022, the Philippines saw more oil price hikes than rollbacks which is the effect of laws such as the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998 during the Ramos administration that removed government control over the price of oil and handed it over to private companies.
In addition, the Expanded Value Added Tax ( VAT) during the Arroyo administration imposed an additional 12% tax on oil and electricity, and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law under Duterte which charged an additional excise tax of P6 on diesel and P10 on gasoline.
Jeepney drivers in Bulacan and all over the country also suffer from a high inflation rate, which rose to 7.7% this year.
TAGS: P2.00 oil price rollback, jeepney drivers, oil price hikes, expanded value added tax
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