THE price of fuel will continue to rise, but the increase will not be as steep as last week’s. Diesel is expected to go up by P14 to P14.50 per liter, and gasoline by P7 to 7.50 per liter. The estimates are based on the four-day trading of Mean of Platts Singapore, the pricing index of refined goods in Southeast Asia. Fuel prices will be going up for the 10th straight week. The increase was projected before latest developments in the Middle East indicated that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen soon. The skyrocketing price of diesel and gasoline has triggered calls for government subsidies to transport workers, farmers and fisherfolk, sectors that are most vulnerable to higher fuel prices. On Friday, Manibela, an organization of jeepney drivers and operators, said jeepney drivers should be entitled to the government’s P5,000 fuel assistance, since they consume more diesel, carry more passengers and are being squeezed by rising fuel prices. In a text message to The Manila Times, Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena questioned why jeepney drivers have yet to receive the same subsidy tricycle drivers are entitled to. “Whether it rains, the sun blazes, a storm comes, an earthquake strikes, every kind of calamity, disaster and suffering, we ‘drivers’ are here, ready to serve the ‘commuters’ whatever the challenge of the weather and the struggle of life, now where are we?” Valbuena said. The government has announced a P5,000 fuel subsidy for tricycle and jeepney drivers in Metro Manila starting March 17. The subsidy issue gained more urgency after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of the planned public transport fare hike. Valbuena warned that Manibela would call a transport strike if the government fails to deliver on its promise to drivers and operators. Another transport group, Piston, staged a strike on Thursday and Friday over rising fuel prices and the suspension of the planned fare hike. Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the government must expand its assistance to include the “poorest of the poor.” In a letter dated March 19 addressed to the Department of Budget and Management, Hontiveros sought clarification on how the P30-billion allocation under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations can be repurposed to benefit hundreds of thousands of transport workers affected by rising oil prices. “Our drivers are struggling to earn a living and are already in debt, and the P1 fare hike has even been suspended. Let’s not wait for the entire public transport system to be paralyzed before we help,” she said. Hontiveros said limiting aid to traditionally defined low-income groups excludes a significant number of transport workers who, while not classified as indigent, are nonetheless experiencing severe financial strain. “Even those not currently classified under the poorest of the poor require urgent supplemental income,” she said. The DSWD on Friday assured transport workers that all qualified beneficiaries will receive aid, including those who missed earlier distributions. The agency said mechanisms are in place to accommodate unserved tricycle drivers through special payout schedules requested by local government units. Drivers who were absent, had incomplete records, or were excluded from initial lists may still qualify once their details are verified and submitted through proper channels. Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian said payouts will continue in key areas, including Quezon City, to ensure wider coverage of beneficiaries. The DSWD said the payouts will expand to other transport sectors and areas nationwide after Holy Week in coordination with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and local government units. As part of government efforts to ease the burden of rising fuel prices, the Department of Transportation announced that private tollway concessionaires, including San Miguel Corp. and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., will implement the two-month discount program. Public utility vehicles, public utility buses and freight vehicles will receive temporary toll discounts on major tollways starting March 23. On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said manufacturers have agreed to keep prices steady for as long as possible to help mitigate the impact of the war in the Middle East on basic commodities in the country. Speaking to reporters following his visit to the Century Pacific Food Inc. Calamba Distribution Center in Laguna, Marcos assured the public that the country has sufficient food supply even in the long term. The president also thanked the private sector for its commitment and vowed that the government would continue monitoring market prices closely. In a related development, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the agency has not received reports of hoarding or profiteering. “We’ve been monitoring on a daily basis because again we have a department in DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) that handles these particular scenarios,” Roque said. She reminded the public to check the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities and report any unauthorized increases through the agency’s hotline or website.