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Surviving a cage match: How a PUV driver fights for family amid oil crisis

Article (news)

Surviving a cage match: How a PUV driver fights for his family amid the oil crisis

Jonathan Cellona

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j9sQrWu9UZQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p><br/>A few cardboard scraps, a handful of padlocks, and a fan to keep the mosquitoes away—this is how 62-year-old Arnel Burac prepares for the night.</p><p>This has been Arnel’s nightly routine for the past weeks. A stroke survivor and longtime jeepney driver, Arnel now sleeps inside his vehicle to save on costs.</p><p>He has done so ever since fuel prices began to soar. Now, with diesel nearing the ₱150 mark, he is at a loss for what to do next. “Ang kinabubuhay ko lang po ay isang pamasada ng jeep,”<em> (Driving this jeepney is my sole source of livelihood) </em>he says.</p><p>He proudly displays the few innovation he has made to his jeepney, including a fan mounted beside the driver’s seat for ventilation while he sleeps. However, tonight is different. He must return to his home in North Caloocan to be with his family; his daughter is graduating from Grade 12, and he doesn&#x27;t want to miss it. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177461382602820260326-oil-ciris-puj-driver-arnel-burac-JC2908.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Jeepney driver Arnel Burac, 62, secures his vehicle following a protest in Quezon City on March 26, 2026. To maximize his take-home pay, Burac has resorted to sleeping inside his jeepney, hoping that by eliminating the daily cost of commuting home, he can save a few more pesos for his family.  <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>A costly journey</strong></div><p>Arnel was supposed to join a transport group’s two-day protest, but he chose to skip the second day to be with his children. </p><p>&quot;Minsan gumagaang ang loob ko ’pag nakikita ko sila. Bumibili ako ng pasalubong ’pag kumikita ako. Ngayon, paano ako makakabili?”(“Sometimes, my heart feels lighter just seeing them. I used to buy them treats whenever I earned enough. Now, how can I even afford that?”)</p><p>He looks at his children’s photos on his mobile phone—a gift from his eldest son. </p><p>His previous phone was stolen while he was asleep in the jeepney a few nights ago, a harsh reminder that he must be extra careful now.</p><p>To save what little he earns, Arnel stays in his jeepney for five days a week, hoping to take home more than just a few hundred pesos. He used to earn as much as ₱3,000 in a day.But as diesel prices climb toward ₱130, his concern deepens on how to provide enough for his family. </p><p>“Pano naman ko po matustusan... hindi naman ako kumikita, dito na nga lang ako natutulog sa jeep,” he explains. (How can I support my family when I make so little? I’ve decided to just sleep in the jeep.)</p><p>The math of survival is becoming impossible. “Tatlong ikot po nito, dati pinapa-gas lang nine hundred, ngayon inaabot ng dalawang libo-tatlong libo ang gas.”(“Before, three rounds of my route only cost ₱900 in fuel. Now, it reaches ₱2,000 to ₱3,000.”)  </p><p>After subtracting a ₱700 “boundary” for his employer, there is little left. “Barya-barya lang po. Minsan wala pa nga eh, singkwenta lang.” (“It’s just loose change. Sometimes there’s nothing left at all—maybe just ₱50.”)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>In a cage match with a handicap</strong></div><p>Arnel acknowledges he is not the only one suffering. “Hindi lang naman po ako naghihirap, nakakaramdam rin sila. Kasi kung anong nararanasan ko, yun din ang nararanasan nila.”(“It’s not just me who is struggling; they feel it too. What I am going through, they are going through as well.”)</p><p>As a stroke survivor, these days are never easy. He moves around his jeepney with visible difficulty. Although he regained some strength after his stroke, his age is a constant weight. He is no longer the man he once was.</p><p>“Sa edad ko pong ito, lumalaban pa rin para mairaos po sila. Kaya lang hindi na kaya, kaya eto naka-standby na lang itong jeep.”(“At my age, I’m still fighting just to see them through. But I just can’t do it anymore—that’s why the jeep is just sitting here on standby.”)</p><p>He now dreads the calls from home—requests for school fees and bills he cannot cover. “Tawag sila nang tawag sa akin. Bayaran dito, bayaran sa eskwelahan. Anong ibibigay ko?”“They keep calling me. School fees and all. What am I supposed to give them?”</p><div>[[PHOTO ALBUM]]</div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Secure for now</strong></div><p>Before he leaves for the weekend, Arnel rummages through his bag and picks up several padlocks. </p><p>He secures the metal doors and screens around his jeepney until it looks like a formidable cage. </p><p>It is safe for now—until he returns after the weekend to take on another week of hell and high prices.</p><p>Jeepney drivers are a hardy group, grinding through long hours of pollution and traffic. Arnel doesn&#x27;t shout slogans.</p><p>His plea is much simpler.“Kahit na may edad na ako, lumalaban ako,” he says.</p><p>“Ang panawagan ko po sa pangulo, sana naman mabuhay naman ang pamilya ko.” (“Even at my age, I am still fighting,” he says. “My only plea to the President is this: please, just let my family survive.”)</p><div><em>(Production: Jonathan Cellona, Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News)</em></div>

<p>A stroke survivor and longtime jeepney driver, Arnel now sleeps inside his vehicle to save on costs—a sacrifice he has made ever since fuel prices began to soar. Now, with diesel nearing the ₱150 mark, he is at a loss for what to do next</p>

A stroke survivor and longtime jeepney driver, Arnel now sleeps inside his vehicle to save on costs—a sacrifice he has made ever since fuel prices began to soar. Now, with diesel nearing the ₱150 mark, he is at a loss for what to do next