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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Laoag motorists, commuters anxious amid impending oil price hikes

Laoag motorists, commuters anxious amid impending oil price hikes

Published Mar 9, 2026 10:06 pm
FLAMES rise from an oil storage facility south of the capital Tehran as strikes hit the city during the US-Israel military campaign in Iran Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP)
FLAMES rise from an oil storage facility south of the capital Tehran as strikes hit the city during the US-Israel military campaign in Iran Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP)
LAOAG CITY – A long line of motorists queued at gasoline stations here on Monday as global oil prices rise due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
In a series of interviews with the Philippine News Agency, motorists and Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) and tricycle drivers expressed concern about the impending spike, which will directly affect their livelihoods.
“There is no fare increase yet, but fuel costs continue to rise. This will hit us hard eventually,” Elpido Tungpalan, a tricycle driver from Gabu Sur in this city, said in local dialect while waiting for passengers along V. Llanes St. on Monday.
Fellow trike driver Jiezrel Verdadero from Bacsil, Dingras, Ilocos Norte also said that the surge in global oil prices has a significant impact on everyone, including the public transportation sector.
“I have a daughter in college, and my daily wage as a tricycle driver may not be sufficient anymore if the price of fuel continues to rise,” he said in Ilocano.
The looming spike has also caused some PUV drivers like Andy Dumlao to cut back on his trips and focus on other jobs instead to cope with rising expenses.
“I only fetch passengers during peak hours or for rent to ensure I don’t waste fuel when going around looking for passengers," he said.
Meanwhile, instead of driving their daughter to the Philippine Science High School in San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur, on a family-owned vehicle as they always do on Sundays, Elma Gabriel and her husband, Gerald, from Batac City, Ilocos Norte, have allowed their daughter to take the bus to save on fuel.
“We are hoping that work week will be compressed to four days and for our children to have online classes so we can save on transport too,” she added.
To cushion the impact of the massive oil price hike, the Ilocos Norte provincial government continues to roll out its fuel subsidy program to public transport groups.
On March 5, the provincial government disbursed over P9 million as fuel subsidy, benefiting a total of 3,603 tricycle drivers and operators in this city.

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