Amid the series of fuel price increases this year, drivers and passengers are finding ways to save and stretch their daily budget.Dexter Bayawa, 19 and a passenger jeepney driver, came to Cebu to have a job and save money for his college studies. He graduated from high school years ago but could not continue his education. Bayawa drives a jeepney everyday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Before the adjustments in fuel prices, he used to take home P500. He would save P200 of the amount as “educational fund.” But with the spiraling prices of fuel, he could hardly save. “Ug di muus-os ang gasolina, patas-an na lang pud unta and pletehan. I-angay-angay lang. Lisod man gyud kayo gud kay permi lang gasolina nagtaas ang pletehan wala… Taasan lang unta og piso, pandungag lang unta ba (If the price of fuel would not go down, the jeepney fare should then increase. It's difficult if the increase is only on the fuel prices but not the jeepney fare. A P1 fare increase should be enough),” he said. Now, he said he drives longer hours. Instead of going home at 8 p.m., he parked his unit at 10 p.m.
Jun-jun Elorde, 50, who has been a jeepney driver for 20 years, lamented that he only earned an average of P400 daily. He said his average gross earnings daily was about P1,600. Deduct P200 for meals and P1,000 or more for the gasoline, Elorde is left with P400. He said he drives from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Manong Jun-jun’s daughter and her family live with them. His son-in-law has a job but he can only provide for his child. So Manong Jun-jun spends for all their meals as well. He also spends about P100 everyday for the medicine of his wife who has a heart problem and hypertension. Manong Jun-jun agrees that there should be an inincrease in fare especially that prices of fuel have gone up 10 times this year. But the commuters will be burdened if the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board adjusts the fare. Rachelle Marie Dangin, 19, lives in Minglanilla town in southern Cebu. Out of her P100 daily allowance, P42 is spent on jeepney fares to her school in Cebu City. To cope, she brings her own lunch. “(An) increase in prices of fuel will lead to increase in fares. As a student, the budget for myself will be decreased,” Dangin said. The P58 is spent for her snacks and photocopying of school papers. She would save between P10 and P20, unless there would unexpected expenses. But she said she would not be able to save if the fare would increase. Mona May Pulvera, 21, is a fresh graduate from Cebu Normal University and is staying in a boarding house in Cebu City. She is currently looking for work while studying Medical Transcription at the same time. If she went home to Lapu-Lapu City, she would spend P60 a day for fare. “Ang effect sa pagtaas sa gasolina is like of that of Semana Santa, grabe ang fasting (The effect of the fuel price increase is like fasting during Holy Week),” she said. She said she would end up spending more for fares than food. Prices of other commodities had also gone up. “Di na lang ta mokaon og baboy kay mahal. Gulay na lang ug isda kay mao may ma sulod sa nahabilin nga budget (I'll just eat vegetables and fish because pork is expensive),” Pulvera said. Her parents provide her P500 for her five-day stay in Cebu City. From that, she gets her daily fare, meals at P40 per day, savings of P20, a weekly training module of P25, P50 for her weekly load, among others. “If there are unexpected expenses, then the savings will be affected,” she said. If jeepney fares would increase, she said she would just decrease her telephone budget by P5 to P10 and maybe just walk, instead of riding the jeepney. “Baklay na lang, dala pang exercise (We’ll just have to walk. It’s a good exercise),” she said. Grace Marie Rivera, 18, goes to a university in Cebu City. She lives in Mandaue City. She said the fare increase is a fair one. “If piso ang increase. it’s okay. Sa food and (cellphone) load budget ang kaltas. Time to skip unnecessary expenses,” she said. Danessa Delima, 22, is a call center agent who works from 3 a.m. to noon. She spends P56 for her taxi fare to work. She rides the jeepney going back home. “I’d say I’m quite fortunate enough to have an above average income, yet that will not stop me from cutting off unnecessary expenses if fuel price increases,” she said. She said that she would have to cut down on her budget for food because she was often extravagant on food. She also planned to take the jeepney to work instead of taking a taxi. She added she would have to eat in a small eatery, instead of going to fastfood restaurants. | 
