Filipinos express travel woes after Middle East conflict triggers fuel, fare prices surge

Commuters Face Rising Costs

Commuters across the Philippines expressed their frustrations over the fallout of the Middle East conflict, stressing that travel costs have surged across all modes of transportation.

Footage captured on Thursday shows long queues and heavy passenger movement at the Batangas Port, Cubao Bus terminal, and the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange. Some drivers can also be seen fuelling up at petrol stations.

Public Concern Over Fuel and Commodity Prices

“Prices of commodities are going up because of the high price of fuel. It’s still good that we can still buy oil and fuel. If there’s none, then how will we survive?” a retired worker asked.

Ride-hailing driver John Paulo Colima shared that the Middle East conflict has ‘greatly affected’ their livelihood, emphasising that their income has ‘decreased significantly.’

Drivers Struggle with Declining Income

“We have almost no income left for our families,” he added. “We are not involved in that war, but it has greatly affected us, and now our economy is struggling.

Energy Dependence and National Emergency

The Philippines is heavily dependent on energy supply from the Middle East, with over 90 percent of its fuel received through the Hormuz.

In March, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. declared a national energy emergency due to a fuel shortage.