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