00:01A week before most manilenos, driver Eric Halera spends his days shuttling commuters.
00:07Drivers like him are the backbone of public transit in the Philippines,
00:10and a conflict far from home is making it hard to make ends meet.
00:15I barely bring home anything. Sometimes I only earn one U.S. dollar 70 a day.
00:20That's not enough to feed my family.
00:24The fallout from the Iran war is hitting jeepney drivers hard.
00:27The colorful makeshift buses run on diesel, and fuel prices in the Philippines have hit record highs.
00:33These are the highest fuel prices I've seen. I don't know whether or not they'll go higher.
00:39We're hoping for it to drop. I hope the war ends soon because everyone's getting affected.
00:44Halera is lucky if he makes a few dollars a day now, what he could earn before lunch just a
00:48few months ago.
00:49He's now working longer days, driving shorter routes,
00:52all to ensure he has something left over after fuel costs and what he owes to the vehicle's owner.
00:57Driver unions are demanding fare increases, with one even organizing a strike that few drivers could afford to join.
01:05We don't really wish to raise fares because we also think about the passenger situation.
01:11We earn money through our passengers, so we wanted things to be fair to our passengers.
01:16The country's transport regulator authorized the price hike, but it was shot down a day later by President Ferdinand Marcos.
01:24Most Manila residents net just under 500 U.S. dollars a month, higher than the national average.
01:29But paying more to get around would take a toll on commuters.
01:33I worry sometimes because if fuel prices go up, that will be an additional expense.
01:38We don't earn much, and yet fare price hikes are looming.
01:42We're already struggling right now, but that will make us struggle even more.
01:46It's an added expense.
01:50But I'm also on the side of the Jimny drivers because they spend a lot on fuel.
01:56Fuel prices rose, but fare rates did not, so they lose money.
01:59Facing tighter margins, many drivers are calling it quits.
02:03A government handout is meant to help, but it's not enough to ease Hilara's concerns.
02:09$84 can help you for a day or two.
02:11It can pay for diesel, but it won't carry you that far.
02:15As the Iran war grinds on, fuel prices in Manila and around the world will likely stay high.
02:20In the short term, for jeepney drivers like Hilara, that will mean working late into the night and a long
02:26road ahead.
02:27Devin Tsai and Brynn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.
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