Tinio on Marcos suspension of measly fare hike: Piso na nga lang, binawi pa! Sinubukang magpapogi, pero mas lalong nagalit ang mamamayan kay Pangulong Marcos Jr.

Drivers are being pushed into impossible conditions. “Mula sa dating P1050 na naiuuwing kita ng drayber noong P60 kada litro pa ang diesel; ngayon, P250 na lang matapos ang sunod-sunod na taas-presyo—even with five round trips in a day. Hindi na kabuhayan ito, panggigipit na,” Tinio said.

Rep. Antonio Tinio expressed full support for the nationwide transport strike after visiting a strike center and speaking with jeepney operators and drivers hit by back-to-back mega oil price hikes and the Marcos Jr. administration’s lack of meaningful relief.

“Marcos has exposed himself as having no real solutions. Instead of decisively cutting oil prices and taxes, he is pushing half-measures and PR stunts that do not reach the ground,” Tinio said. “Idineklara niya ang giyera sa sektor ng transportasyon—pati ‘yung kakarampot na pisong dagdag-pasahe, sinuspinde pa. Sinusubukan niyang magpapogi, pero lalo lang nagalit ang mamamayan.”

Tinio shared the experience of operators and drivers plying on how government policies and the fuel shock are crushing daily operations. On a 10-kilometer Agoncillo–Guadalupe route, operators cited fuel consumption of around 4 liters per round trip—roughly P400 with current prices and traffic—while the boundary remains at P700 despite repeated oil price hikes. Moreover, the unconsolidated units face difficulties registering, risk being treated as “colorum,” and are pressured into cooperatives.

Tinio also criticized the delayed and inadequate assistance being dangled by the administration. The P5,000 DSWD aid, coursed to operators instead of directly to drivers, can cover only about two days of expenses under current fuel prices—arriving after weeks of punishing increases that have already forced many to stop plying routes because they are operating at a loss. “Ang pangako nilang ayuda, huli na at kapos pa—aanhin pa ang damo kapag patay na ang kabayo,” Tinio said.

Tinio urged the government and Congress to respond with immediate, meaningful measures aligned with the transport sector’s demands: junk the excise tax and VAT on oil, stop overpricing and profiteering by oil cartels enabled by deregulation, scrap the Oil Deregulation Law, and provide substantial, immediate aid that reaches drivers directly. “What drivers and commuters need is real price relief—not press releases at panakip-butas,” Tinio said. “Tanggalin ang buwis sa langis. Pigilan ang pananamantala ng oil cartel. Ibasura ang deregulasyon.” ###