Policies favor private corporations over public welfare, further marginalizing women.
By Dulce Amor RodriguezBulatlat.com
MANILA — When oil prices soar, women tend to skip meals and stretch every peso to keep their families afloat, according to the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR).
Global oil prices surged following recent military attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. This resulted in consecutive fuel price hikes in the Philippines, raising the risk of further inflation in a country that imports about 95 percent of its petroleum.
CWR said that this dependence makes fare hikes and income losses inevitable, placing an estimated 14.3 million poor families and 3.4 million borderline poor households at high risk as transport, food, and utility costs continue to rise.
Falling incomes, rising hunger
For many households, women absorb the impact first as they manage limited budgets and ensure that food remains on the table despite shrinking resources.
CWR said that the family living wage stands at about P1,240 ($22.16) per day, more than double the country’s average minimum wage of P498 ($8.90).
Quoting from CWR, Marissa Figueroa of Piston Women said that her husband’s daily earnings as a jeepney driver dropped from P700–P800 ($12.50–$14.30) to P200–P300 ($3.60–$5.40) as diesel prices climbed.
“Sometimes, we just eat rice with bagoong; sometimes, we just go to bed hungry,” Figueroa said.
“These stories reflect the daily reality of women absorbing the impact of inflation,” said CWR Executive Director Cham Perez, adding that each price increase multiplies the burden on women managing near-zero household budgets.
Policies under scrutiny
CWR criticized the Marcos Jr. administration for failing to implement meaningful relief measures, pointing to excise taxes and the 12 percent value-added tax on petroleum products that continue to pass costs onto consumers.
It said that excise taxes reach up to P10 ($0.18) per liter on gasoline and P6 ($0.11) on diesel while the government collected P304.3 billion ($5.43 billion) in oil-related taxes in 2024.
The group warned that fuel prices may continue to rise, with global oil prices increasing by about 25 percent and local diesel prices projected to increase by P17 to P24 ($0.30–$0.43) per liter, with some areas already recording diesel prices above P100 ($1.79) per liter.
CWR added that inflation could reach six percent to seven percent in the coming months if tensions persist, pushing more families deeper into poverty.
Short-term aid falls short
CWR said that the government’s P5,000 ($89.40) fuel subsidy for jeepney drivers remains insufficient, noting that one-time aid fails to offset sustained increases in fuel costs.
“Worse, these subsidies end up bringing public money back to private oil companies, which guarantees their profits while leaving drivers, commuters, and other groups who are already struggling to deal with the long-term effects of growing expenses,” Perez said.
The group said that these conditions fueled protest actions, with Piston staging a transport strike and a people’s protest on March 27 to highlight how rising oil prices worsen the living conditions of transport workers and poor families.
Widening burden
CWR said that policies favor private corporations over public welfare, further marginalizing women who already face economic insecurity due to unstable jobs and rising household costs.
“Workers are drowning in rising costs while the government stays passive and beholden to oil companies. This deregulated system has long failed the public,” Perez said.
The group reiterated its call to repeal the oil deregulation law, remove value-added and excise taxes on oil, provide substantial subsidies, and implement wage increases to address the crisis.
It also urged the public to unite with transport workers, market vendors, and poor families struggling to survive.
“We will continue to hold the government accountable for its inutile response to the people’s mounting hunger and hardship,” Perez said, warning that without decisive action, the crisis will deepen and push more Filipino women and their families to the brink. (DAA, RVO)
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