It was a shock like no other.
Last week, Lagunenses felt the full brunt of the impact of a faraway war: the steep and sudden rise in the prices of oil products due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Local government units – who were earlier accused of inaction – scrambled to cushion the severe impact of the “big-time” oil price hike, while ordinary residents suddenly found themselves trying to tighten their belts as the effects of the Iran war began to bite on their wallets.
Big-time hike
On March 10, oil companies finally pushed through with the dreaded big-time oil price hike brought by the latest conflict in the Middle East.
Overnight, prices shot up from P50 to P60 per liter to as much as P80 or P90 per liter.
While the Department of Energy (DOE) has convinced oil companies to “stagger” the implementation of price increases to soften the impact, there is still no doubt that the latest round of oil price hikes still shocked many Lagunenses.
Latest projections as of March 14 peg the prices of diesel at around P79 to P84 per liter; gasoline from P60 to P73 per liter; and kerosene from P118 to P122 per liter.
The big-time oil price hike was also compounded by the Manila Electric Company's (Meralco) announcement to raise its electricity charge by P0.64 per kilowatt-hour this month.
However, Meralco claimed that their decision to raise power costs is unrelated to the expected hike in oil prices, attributing it to the 70-percent hike in ancillary service charge by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) from the capacity it tapped from the Reserve Market.
Still, there is no doubt that the big-time oil price hike will create a ripple effect on the prices of basic goods and services.
There are also projections that this could also lead in a sudden spike in the country's inflation rate, which quickened to 2.4 percent last February.
‘Lalo kaming hirap’
For many Lagunenses, the sudden spike in oil prices has placed an additional burden on their everyday lives.
"Sa amin po na boundary ang kitaan, lalong hirap ngayon," Jessie Cayanan, a tricycle driver from San Pedro City, told OpinYon Laguna.
"Kailangan po talaga kasi kami maka-abot ng boundary, e kung madalang o walang pasahero, hirap po kaming makaipon."
Already, some tricycle drivers and operators have expressed their plans to petition for a fare increase if oil prices continue to go up.
“Kung sa amin lang talaga kailangan talaga magtaas ng pamasahe, pero di kami basta-basta magtataas ng pamasahe dadaan pa sa ano yan Sangguniang tas paguusapan yan sa Munisipyo satin sa San Pedro,” Bong, another tricycle driver, said.
“Pero deserve din naming mga tricycle driver na magtaas ng pamasahe. Talagang malaking epekto samin nyan. Wala na kaming mauwi sa pamilya namin.”
Consumers, on the other hand, have expressed concern over the possible domino effect of the oil price hike to the costs of basic commodities.
“Malaking epekto sa mga kagaya nating konsumer, mga mahihirap na ang kita lang natin ay minsan sapat lang sa ating pamilya,” Jessie, a vendor, said.
Austerity measures
Several local governments in Laguna have also implemented their own measures to save on energy costs amid the big-time oil price hike.
Aside from implementing the four-day workweek (although office hours were lengthened to catch up), LGUs such as San Pedro City directed officials and employees to avoid the use of government-issued vehicles for personal errands, leisure trips, or other nonessential activities.
San Pedro City Mayor Art Mercado also called for maximizing the use of government vehicles based on urgency and destination, as well as urging employees to walk, bike or use public transportation to work.
Other LGUs, such as Santa Cruz and Liliw, suspended the participation of municipal officials, employees, and barangay personnel in seminars, study tours, trainings, and conferences held outside their towns.
Government officials were also urged to prioritize virtual or online events and to assess and reduce operational expenses as part of efforts to conserve energy and funds.
Notably, local departments performing frontline and essential services, including those involved in healthcare services and disaster risk reduction and management, were excluded from the four-day workweek rule.
Meanwhile, ordinary Lagunenses are now also implementing their own austerity measures to cope with the possible domino effect of the oil price hike.
“Malaking tipid po muna kami, para ma-budget yung aming daily needs,” vendor Jessie told OpinYon Laguna.
Olong, a cleaner, also said he plans to cut down on unnecessary expenses: “Kung mayroon pong bibilhin na hindi po dapat o hindi kailangan, huwag na po talagang bilhin siguro.”
(With reports by Criselle Lucban and Kenneth Sacro)
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