Another round of hefty fuel price hike set

National

THERE'S no stopping fuel prices from surging.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said diesel may go up by P16.50 to P17.50 per liter this week while Gasoline may rise by P7.50 to P8.50 per liter.

The impending increase come as some stations are aleady selling fuel at more than P100 per liter.

Last week, gasoline went up by P12.90 to P16.60 per liter while diesel jumped by P20.40 to P23.90 per liter.

Amid the increasing fuel prices, some jeepney drivers decided to stage a strike on Monday, March 23, protesting the massive price surge that have pushed their daily income down to just P150.

The Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization said its members would keep their jeepneys off the roads for one day. The group said drivers can no longer earn enough to feed their families.

"Talagang hindi namin kakayanin na. Kaya kami sa Lunes, magta-transport holiday kami nationwide," ACTO national president Libay de Luna said in a Philstar report.

"Hindi kami lalabas. Wala namang manggugulo. Para maiparamdam sa ating Presidente Marcos na kami talaga ay hirap na hirap na," she added.

De Luna asked the government to bring back service contracting and told banks to let transport cooperatives skip loan payments for now.

In Iloilo City, the Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations Inc. also held a transport holiday.

PISTON held a two-day strike on March 19 and 20 for the same reason.(Jene-V N. Sayson, CTU-TC BAEL - ELSD Intern)