Manila – Despite driving his jeepney through some of Metro Manila’s busiest neighbourhoods on a daily basis, Arturo Modelo, 52, only takes home about a third of the 600 Philippine pesos ($10) he would normally earn, as the cost of fuel has soared in the Philippines and his profits have diminished as a result.“I can’t even afford my kid’s lunch money,” he told Al Jazeera.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listLeaning on his jeepney, Modelo explained how he joined two days of transport strikes in Manila on Thursday and Friday because he wanted “a deaf government to listen”.Besides, he added, “you can’t really make a living on the road these days.”The iconic jeepney, which emerged at the end of World War II when Filipinos repurposed old United States military jeeps to use as minibuses, is the cheapest and most common form of commuter transport in the Philippines. A driver sits on the bonnet of his jeepney in Manila amid protests in the Philippine capital over rising fuel prices [Michael Beltran/Al Jazeera]Last week, jeepney owners staged a strike, which was followed by bigger demonstrations this week, as workers – from bus, taxi and minibus drivers to motorcycle taxi riders – representing nearly a dozen national transport groups joined the stoppage to protest rising fuel costs amid what they see as government inaction.Thousands marched to the Presidential Palace on Friday, demanding price controls on petrol and diesel, scrapping fuel taxes, and tighter government regulation of the fuel industry.The workers, who came together on Thursday and Friday under the No to Oil Price Hike Coalition, believe the government was too …
