“At present, jeepney drivers can take home P400 to P500 after 12 to 18 hours on the road. With the oil price hike, they could lose P200 to P300,” Piston president Mody Floranda said.

Traditional jeepneys traverse Taft Avenue in Manila on Feb. 20, 2026. Photo by Ryan Baldemor, The Philippine STAR

Transport group Piston will file a petition for a provisional fare increase of P2 on March 16, to peg the minimum at P15, amid the jump of P17 to P24 per liter in pump prices.

During a rally along East Avenue in Quezon City on Monday, March 9, Piston president Mody Floranda said the provisional fare increase would avert the hefty income cut for jeepney drivers and operators because of the spike in oil prices.

“At present, jeepney drivers can take home P400 to P500 after 12 to 18 hours on the road. With the oil price hike, they could lose P200 to P300,” Floranda explained.

“If the provisional P2 fare increase is granted, we can earn P400 after 200 passengers in a day,” he added.

Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Vigor Mendoza said a certain provisional fare increase will be implemented as diesel prices are seen to reach P80 per liter.

However, Floranda underscored that the fare hike should be coupled with raising the minimum wage of Filipino workers to P1,200 to afford higher transportation costs.

Emergency powers

During the two-day work visit in the United States, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Marcos will ask Congress to grant him emergency powers to reduce excise tax on petroleum products.

However, Floranda said Marcos should rather issue an executive order than request emergency powers.

He stressed that the issue of oil prices is urgent, and requesting emergency powers would take time. “It would undergo hearings in Congress. We need the administration to act immediately.”

“As the President, he has mandatory powers. He should issue an executive order suspending the implementation of taxes on oil products,” Floranda said.

The transport group leader asserted that the total removal of value-added and excise taxes on oil and the junking of the deregulation law would help the sector amid the looming crisis.

“At its standing, excise tax is P6 while VAT is P9. If we are to remove these taxes, P15 per liter will be gained by drivers. Eventually, it would lower the costs of other goods,” Floranda explained.

“We don’t need a patchwork action from the government. If President Marcos wants to help the citizens, he should issue an executive order suspending excise tax, scrapping VAT and junking the oil deregulation law,” Floranda added.