‘IMPORTED WARS, LOCAL SUFFERING’: Groups Decry Fuel Price Hike Amid Mideast Conflict

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By Juliane Judilla 

Several groups condemned the rising cost of fuel announced by the Department of Energy on June 24, citing growing tensions in the Middle East and the impact on ordinary Filipinos.

The transport group No To PUV Phaseout Coalition – Panay (NTPPC) warned that the latest hike will worsen conditions for small and independent jeepney drivers and operators already burdened by the Public Transport Modernization Program and its mandatory consolidation policy.

“The destruction of our livelihoods never stops,” the group said, stressing that the soaring cost of basic goods is worsening public suffering.

“Today’s fuel price increase, which reached PHP5 per liter, will bring severe hunger and hardship not only to drivers and operators but to the entire population, as it will lead to a rise in the prices of all basic goods,” it added.

NTPPC criticized the government’s “band-aid” solutions, such as fare increases and financial aid, as insufficient and unsustainable.

“The continuous and sharp rise in oil prices is a result of the manipulation by oil cartels and the complicity of the Marcos administration,” the group said.

It cited the Oil Deregulation Law and the Public Transport Modernization Program as key factors in the loss of state control over essential industries like fuel and transportation.

In a June 23 protest in Quezon City, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) also decried the fuel hike, calling it a symptom of capitalist greed.

“Capitalists are exploiting the tension in Iran and West Asia to earn super profits, even if arbitrary pricing worsens the cost of living for ordinary consumers,” BAYAN said.

The group added that the government remains passive toward oil cartels because it benefits from windfall revenues, which it claims are diverted by corrupt officials.

BAYAN renewed its call to repeal the Oil Deregulation Law and demanded immediate measures such as suspending the VAT and excise taxes on fuel.

“The new round of oil price hikes will lead to higher prices of goods and services amid stagnant wages and a worsening economic crisis,” it warned.

Meanwhile, consumer group Samahan ng mga Konsyumer para sa Ikauunlad ng Bayan (SUKI) emphasized that the oil price hike is not merely a “domino effect” of international conflict but a systemic problem needing structural solutions.

“There are actions the government could take if it were truly sincere in serving the people,” SUKI said.

In the short term, the group proposed fuel and production subsidies for drivers, farmers, and fisherfolk, wage increases, billionaire taxes, and the removal of VAT and excise taxes on fuel—which they said make up about one-third of the pump price.

In the long term, SUKI urged the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law, transparent oil pricing, and government control over fuel pricing.

“Ultimately, the oil industry should be nationalized,” SUKI added.

“We have trillions of tons of natural gas, yet the government has no plan to develop it for the country’s economy.”

SUKI said national industrialization is key to ending dependence on imported oil.