Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that had pushed fuel prices, including liquified petroleum gas (LPG), to record highs, small eateries in Manila continue to grapple with the volatile economic situation, forcing them to turn to traditional and often cheaper alternatives just to keep their businesses going.

Lita Dimaguiba, a 62-year-old carinderia owner on Earnshaw Street, Sampaloc, Manila, opted to use charcoal in her eatery's daily operation since last week due to the steep increase in LPG prices.

"Dati ho nag-uuling lang kami para sa mga inihaw na putahe, pero ngayon miski sa mga regular items namin gaya ng menudo, giniling, tsaka mga prito, uling nadin ginagamit namin (Before, we only used charcoal for our grilled products, but due to the increase in LPG prices, we're now also using charcoal to cook our regular items such as menudo, giniling, and fried foods)," she told the Manila Bulletin.

Prior to the war, the price of the LPG tank she usually buys ranged from P820 to P850 only; however, it had now skyrocketed to P1,200 to P1,250.

"Akala ko nabibingi na ako eh, parang hindi matanggap ng tenga ko na ganun na kamahal gasul ngayon. Talagang lugi aabutin namin pag nagstick kami sa pagluluto gamit gasul (I thought I was going deaf. It's as if my ears can't accept that LPG is so expensive these days. We're really going to go out of business if we stick to cooking with LPG)," she added.

Another eatery owner, Mercy, said she and her sister were forced to increase the prices of their food to cope with the surge in LPG prices as well as the prices of cooking ingredients.

"Nagtaas nalang kami ng presyo ng mga ulam from P60; ngayon P70 na po mga ulam namin. Meron padin naman kaming budget meals tsaka student meals, pero P5 lang ginawa naming pagtataas para hindi naman masyado masakit sa bulsa ng mga estudyante (We just increased the price of our dishes from P60 to P70. We still offer budget meals and student meals, but we only increased them by P5 so that it remains affordable to students)," Mercy explained, noting that this is their way of maintaining the quality and quantity of their dishes despite the increase in operating expenses.

"Ayaw din naman namin gumamit ng uling kasi miski yun ang mahal nadin. Takaw sunog pa tsaka mausok masyado (We also don't want to use charcoal because it's also quite expensive nowadays. It's also extremely prone to fire and produces too much smoke, which could disturb our customers)," she added.

Meanwhile, burger joint owner Resty and his team are now exercising the prudent use of their stove to save gas, which includes cooking ingredients in bulk and ensuring the LPG is tightly shut to prevent leaking.

"Damang dama namin talaga ngayon yung epekto nung giyera sa Middle East kasi nagsisirit na mga presyo ng bilihin pati LPG. Hindi nga tayo binobomba gaya doon sa kanila, pero binobomba naman tayo ng inflation (We are really feeling the effects of the war in the Middle East right now because the prices of goods, including LPG, are skyrocketing. We are not being bombed like they are, but we are being bombed by inflation)," he said.

"Nakakagigil pa kasi pamahal ng pamahal mga bilihin pero padami din ng padami ninanakaw ng mga kurakot. Sa laki ng ninanakaw nila wala nang natitira sa kaban ng bayan kaya ngayon hirap tayo tulungan ng gobyerno (It's extremely infuriating because the prices of goods are getting higher and higher, but the corrupt are stealing more and more. With the amount of money they are stealing, there is nothing left in the public treasury, so now the government is having a hard time helping us)," he exclaimed.