“Dati, maka-P500–P700 nak iti maysa nga aldaw; tatta ket P300 laengen,” – 69-year-old tricycle driver in Tabuk shares plight amid rising fuel costs

Tabuk City, Kalinga – For a 69-year-old tricycle driver who has been plying the Bulanao Centro route for more than 20 years, the skyrocketing cost of fuel is now threatening both his livelihood and his family’s source of income, as most of his daily earnings go directly to fuel expenses.

Charlie Ordoña is one of the 1,187 tricycle drivers eligible for the P5,000 cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). After receiving the aid at the Tabuk People’s Gym on April 8, Ordoña shared his struggles with GURU Press Cordillera amid the continuing fuel price hikes caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

According to the 69-year-old driver, he used to take home around P500 to P700 a day after 10 hours of driving passengers around Bulanao. However, when fuel prices surged to over P100 per liter in March, his daily earnings dropped to about P300—or sometimes even less.

“Tatta, bassit, P300 iti kangatoan nga maiyaw-awid ta diay gasolina iti maipaspasadaan,” he lamented, explaining that while he used to spend around P250 for fuel daily, he now spends over P400.

The burden of rising fuel prices is not the only challenge he faces. He also has to deal with complaints from passengers over the additional P5.00 increase in fares, from P15.00–P20.00 around Bulanao.

“Nu daduma, adda dagiti pasaheros nayunan da, agited da P30.00. Haan mi met ipilpilit, ma’am, ibagbaga mi lang iti rikriknaen iti drivers. Adda garud maki-apa kunada apay adda taripa yu? Kitaen yu met ah, ma’am, iti gasolina, haan met nga matawaran uray mapan ka idiay gasolinaan. Ket dakami nga drivers iti tricycle ket matawaran yu. Adda pay P15 iti ited na latta,” he narrated in a soft voice.

With fuel prices projected to reach as high as P200 per liter, Ordoña admitted that he may no longer be able to continue driving, as he would not be able to afford the daily fuel costs.

Despite the challenges, the senior citizen expressed gratitude to the DSWD for the P5,000 cash assistance. He said that while the amount is not enough to fully cover their losses due to rising fuel prices, he remains thankful for the support extended to him and his fellow drivers.