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Aubrey Rose Inosante - The Philippine Star
May 12, 2026 | 12:00am
Residents go about their daily lives in Delpan, Tondo, Manila in this file photo.
STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — Over 396,000 low-income households could slip below the poverty line due to rising food and transport costs, according to the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department.
Under the worst-case scenario, the CPBRD said the Middle East oil shock could push 396,067 households into poverty.
It said even under milder shocks, 293,152 households would be classified as “poor” under scenario two and 185,654 in scenario one.
The policy think tank has urged the Marcos administration to expand its cash aid program to include low-income families.
“A relief measure limited to the officially poor provides no protection to the households the shock itself pushes into poverty and that extending coverage to the low-income class is both more effective and more fiscally efficient,” the CPBRD said.
This strategy protects 3,174 newly poor households per billion pesos spent, while a universal program registers less than one-third this efficiency at more than three times the cost, the CPBRD noted.
Meanwhile, fuel supply continues to hover within the Department of Energy (DOE)’s 50-day target.
As of May 8, the country’s inventory can last an average of 50.70 days, DOE data showed.
“Despite this level of comfort, let’s continue fuel and energy saving habits,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said.
Diesel price down
With the rollback in diesel prices today, the fuel commonly used by jeepney drivers is once again set to cost less than gasoline.
Diesel and kerosene prices are expected to decline by at least P9.57 and P13.30 per liter, respectively, the DOE said.
Gasoline prices will rise by as much as P0.47 per liter.
This week’s adjustments place diesel prices at an estimated range of P71.19 to P89.91 per liter in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities.
With this shift, diesel has once again edged below gasoline, which now ranges higher at roughly P72.47 to P106.97 per liter. — EJ Macababbad, Brix Lelis
