ILIGAN CITY – More than 600 jeepney drivers launched a three-day transport strike in Iligan City to demand a P5 fare adjustment amid skyrocketing fuel costs that have severely impacted their livelihoods.
The drivers, members of the transport group Boses at Samahan ng mga Jeepney Drivers and Operators Association (Busina), walked off the job to protest the continued rise in fuel prices that they say has eaten significantly into their daily income.
Busina President Jessie Sumaylo told reporters that jeepneys plying the Dalipuga, Acmac, San Roque, Saint Mary, Bagong Silang, Pala-o, Tubod Terminal, Suarez, Buru-un, and Ubaldo Laya and Lugait routes all participated in the transport holiday.
The group’s P5 fare increase demand, if approved, would bring the minimum jeepney fare to P18 per passenger — a figure Sumaylo argued is a necessary adjustment given the financial strain on drivers.
Sumaylo revealed that drivers lost as much as P800 from their daily earnings due to two rounds of fuel price hikes, making it nearly impossible for them to make ends meet under the current fare structure.
Beyond the fare hike, Busina is also calling on the national government to suspend the implementation of excise taxes on fuel and the value-added tax, which they say unfairly burden both drivers and commuters.
“I hope the fuel subsidy from the national government will be given to legitimate utility drivers and operators fairly,” Sumaylo said, recalling how during the COVID-19 pandemic, subsidies meant for drivers were often diverted before reaching them.
The local government noted that mini-buses did not participate in the strike, providing some alternative transport options for affected commuters during the three-day protest.
The strike highlights the ongoing tension between public transport operators and government policy on fuel pricing, a concern shared by jeepney drivers across the Philippines as global oil prices continue to fluctuate.
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