Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Bea Cuadra

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784595508702thumbnail-F7m3y2hyWVI-1280x720 (2).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — Long lines of vehicles packed some fuel stations along Commonwealth Avenue late Monday evening, July 20, as motorists rushed to fill up their tanks ahead of an impending<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/7/20/massive-oil-price-hike-seen-in-3rd-week-of-july-0952"> oil price hike</a> scheduled for Tuesday morning.</p><p>The surge in demand caused at least one station along the avenue to run out of diesel supply as early as Monday night.</p><p>Drivers lined up in the hopes of beating the price adjustment, expressing frustration over the growing financial burden imposed by rising fuel costs.</p><p>For transport workers, the scheduled increase poses a threat to their daily earnings.</p><p>Aldrin Dabo, 44, a motorcycle taxi rider, shared that he fell in line to catch the lower prices before the hike.</p><p>“Humabol lang kasi nga may price hike daw bukas, na tataas naman &#x27;yung gas,” he said.</p><p>Dabo explained how much the price surges affect his livelihood, describing the situation as heavy and difficult.</p><p>&quot;Napakahirap. Lalo na ako, MC rider ako eh. Mahirap po talaga, mabigat. Parang &#x27;yung kita namin na mas maganda pa sana, napupunta pa sa pa-gas namin. Kagaya &#x27;pag mababa lang &#x27;yung gas, maganda-ganda ang kita na &#x27;yung uwi. Lalo ngayon, mahirap talaga bumiyahe kasi marami na,&quot; Dabo said, adding that nearly half of his take-home income is lost to fuel costs. </p><p>&quot;Kalahati po, madam. Kalahati po halos ng kita ang nawawala na makaka-uwi ka sana nang maganda-ganda. Ngayon po, pang-ulam na lang talaga. Gano&#x27;n. Wala na po &#x27;yun.&quot;</p><p>Traditional taxi drivers are facing a similar strain.</p><p>Roger Badoy, 46, said he was also rushing to refuel.</p><p>“Humahabol po kasi magtataas na mamaya sa madaling araw,” he said.</p><p>Badoy mentioned that high fuel expenses, paired with a lower volume of passengers compared to previous years, have drastically cut into his profits.</p><p>Despite spending P1,300 for fuel, he said he has no choice but to continue driving the same hours.</p><p>&quot;Sobra. Malaki &#x27;yung nawawala sa amin eh,&quot; Badoy said. &quot;Unang-una, madalang na rin &#x27;yung pasahero. &#x27;Di tulad nung araw, balewala ho &#x27;yung pagtaas dahil mas marami &#x27;yung pasahero. Ngayon, wala na.&quot;</p><p>For others who drive and work at night, lining up was both a routine errand and a strategy to minimize expenses.</p><p>Dondon Ocampo, a ride-hailing (TNVS) driver who usually spends around P1,400 per shift on fuel, emphasized that every peso saved counts toward taking food home to his family.</p><p>&quot;Humabol lang, ma&#x27;am, siguro. Kasi bukas magtataas na,&quot; Ocampo said. </p><p>&quot;Siyempre ma&#x27;am, &#x27;yung itataas ng gasolina, pagpalagay mo ng 2 pesos per liter, sayang na rin &#x27;yung pag-uwi sa pamilya.&quot;</p><p>Ocampo noted that even small markups add up quickly over time.</p><p>&quot;Malaki din. Hindi rin natin masasabi kung gaano kataas, gaano kababa. Pero siyempre malaking bagay din &#x27;yun, ma&#x27;am. &#x27;Yung 71 [pesos] nga, masakit na sa bulsa eh,&quot; he added, noting that he prefers driving at night to save on gas by avoiding traffic. “Siguro mas maganda na rin itong panggabi kasi iwas-traffic, iwas-hassle. Kasi &#x27;pag pangaraw ka, wala din.&quot;</p><p>Some motorists along the major thoroughfare were left balancing long wait times against the necessity of saving on their gas expenses.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><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/ikeCgUW8V6Y?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Drivers lined up in the hopes of beating the price adjustment, expressing frustration over the growing financial burden imposed by rising fuel costs.<br>
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Drivers lined up in the hopes of beating the price adjustment, expressing frustration over the growing financial burden imposed by rising fuel costs.

Long queues form at some fuel stations in QC ahead of Tuesday price hike

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Long queues form at some fuel stations in QC ahead of Tuesday price hike

Bea Cuadra,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 21, 2026 09:01 AM PHT

Read More:

Oil price hike

Gas stations

Quezon City

Taxi

MC Taxi

TNVS driver

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