October 11, 2022

An Open Letter to Mr. President, Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos, Jr.,

The Philippines today experience a constant increase in commodity prices. For instance,
those who get their income from driving vehicles become problematic because it would limit their
gasoline use and also may limit their routine trip in a day, which results in insufficient income for
them. Sometimes, the fare from the passengers lacks to buy gasoline for the vehicle. So, it seems
that drivers in the country don't make money from their "pamamasada," a common term for the
livelihood of our hardworking drivers. Drivers cry because they cannot do anything but adapt to
these changes in the prices of gas.

I witnessed how inflation affects our lives because my father is a tricycle driver. One time,
we went to a gasoline station to refuel our tricycle. My father paid P200.00 for gas which only
equals 2.5 liters of gasoline. A 1 liter of gasoline costs P80.00 today. Comparing it to the past, I
remembered that it only takes P40.00 for you to buy 1 liter of gasoline. Therefore, gas has double-
priced now. For 1 liter, my father can travel two times in our area. Imagine if a liter of gas only
costs P40.00 and for that P200.00, he can travel ten times and get enough income. However, a liter
of gas now costs P80.00, so for an amount of P200.00, he can only travel five times, and his income
will only be half of what he earned before. Sometimes, my father does not have money to fuel the
tricycle, so he has to ask for money from my mother. It's hard because we experience a lot of
shortage on budget due to the constant increase of commodity prices today.

Not only drivers suffered from the increased oil prices, but also their passengers. People
have to pay the same fare even though they have different areas to arrive and get off the vehicle.
And since we are in the post-pandemic, we have to pay more than the cost of fare before. In my
experience as a passenger before the pandemic, from Bombon to Naga, the jeepney fare costs
P18.00. But now, I have to pay P25.00 for the same trip. Before, I used to pay P7.00 on a tricycle
from the terminal to the metropolis of Naga. Now, we have to pay P15.00. Recently, a post from
the Facebook page of Mayor Son Legacion caught my attention because it includes an ordinance
prescribing the reduction of fares for public utility vehicles in Naga City. It indicates that Trimble,
Etrike, and taxicle passengers' regular fare is P13.00. The discounted fare will be P10.50. The
constant fare for padyak passengers costs P10.00, while the discounted fare is P8.00. It somehow
helped us because we can save some money for another purposeful spending.
 Inflation has been affecting all Filipinos nowadays. They earn less but have to spend more.
Since prices are constantly increasing, consumers' capacity to purchase commodities decreases.
That is why our Filipino drivers spend a lot on oils but earn less because though there is a high
fare on vehicles, most of their income from pamamasada is for oil expenses. It concludes that they
aren't spending their earnings with some of their daily expenses because it is not enough.
Passengers, too, experience difficulties today. They spend most of their money on fares, so they
have a lesser budget for other expenses. Some of us sacrifice to save money. Some prefer not to
take snacks or skip meals during classes which is unhealthy. Some walk from home to school
instead of commuting. These are some impacts of the higher prices of commodities. Through time,
prices continue to increase, so what more in the future?

Mr. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., you have been trusted by millions of Filipinos to serve
the country. You know about the cries of Filipinos on different economic issues, particularly
inflation. We are in a post-pandemic era where we slowly get back to the ordinary things we do.
Yet, how can we settle for what we ordinarily do if there are a lot of price hikes? It is not favorable
for Filipinos since most of their people lost their livelihood during the pandemic and will instantly
adapt to inflation. Filipinos hope for your help to assess this crisis through your government. May
the price hikes for oil and fare catch your attention because Filipinos encounter so many difficulties
nowadays. We know that it is hard if you are the only one to solve this problem. We are willing to
give our cooperation, time, and effort to help you through. What you can do today will always
affect the future, so please save all of us from this situation. Higher prices of commodities also
encourage poverty. Therefore, we must act now, President Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos, Jr.

Kris Hazel Renton,

A Filipino Youth