It is not news anymore when oil companies routinely increase their prices for whatever reason. This time, their justification is Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which oil from the Middle East is shipped out.
Past experiences have shown that government cannot do anything about such oil price increases and their consequences, which include increases in the prices of basic commodities, fares, services and almost anything necessary for everyday living.
But the government can do something to alleviate the misery of the riding public who end up paying for the greed of the oil companies.
The railways, PUJs, buses, taxis and every conceivable mode of transportation relocate thousands of mostly working people daily from east to west and from north to south. Translated into pesos, the fares paid by these working people eat most of their income for the day and leaves less than what is anticipated by their dependents.
The simple and expedient solution is to reorganize local employment—that is, workers in Caloocan City should reside in Caloocan, workers in Quezon City should reside in Quezon City, workers in Las Piñas City should reside in Las Piñas, and so on and so forth. This reorganization of local employment will not only enable working people to save more of their take home pay, it will likewise solve the stressful traffic problem of Metro Manila. Moreover, this will give working people more time to be with their families, especially during breakfast and dinner, because travel time from their residence to their workplaces, and vise-versa, will be significantly reduced.
For starters, the government, both national and local, may call a meeting with the employers and owners of, say, SM, Robinsons and other malls and business establishments in different Metro Manila cities.
It would be a drastic measure but it is doable and should have been done a long time ago. All it takes is a firm resolve to do something that is achievable, practical and in the end financially beneficial to all concerned.
Think about it!
—RICKY A. JUAB,
GE Garcia Law Office,
Laiko Bldg., Cabildo Street,
Intramuros, Manila