How much does normal cost?

“Projections are not encouraging as the world expects oil to come roaring back, with the developing world expected to guzzle more of it when business becomes usual.

“It’s not just the motorists who will need to tighten their belts, but the rest of the nation that has yet to completely deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

While we allowed ourselves to be diverted toward politics, personalities, and colors in the past weeks, gloomier realities are expected to set in tomorrow when the pump prices of fuel skyrocket anew to record levels.

It’s like a “skyfall” when we get crushed by matters we have no control of, and it’s not just the motorists who will need to tighten their belts, but the rest of the nation that have yet to completely deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Those who have yet to notice were bracing for yet another round of increase in the prices of petroleum products, and it’s likely to start tomorrow — Tuesdays being the days of gloom since the last week of August this year.

To soften the impact of this news, the oil companies released their forecasts on the weekend when yet another political possibility, Sara Duterte and Bongbong Marcos merging forces, and the show of strength by Leni Robredo’s supporters via a nationwide motorcade hogged the headlines and ate up several bytes.

These would make the fuel price hikes a surprise for some.

From Unioil’s forecast for the 26 October to 1 November trading week, it is expected that the price per liter of gasoline may increase by P1.10 to P1.20.

Diesel prices, on which the public transportation stakeholders are glued, may go up by P0.40 to P0.50 per liter.

These will come after last week’s round of increase — for the eighth straight week — of P1.80 per liter of gasoline, P1.50 for each liter of diesel, P1.30 per liter of kerosene, a necessity for cooking in many poor households.

With the ninth straight round of increase as yet, year-to-date adjustments have now reached a net increase of P19.65 per liter for gasoline.

The total net increase for every liter of diesel has logged P18 from the start of the year, while P15.49 has been added per liter of kerosene.

These are made noticeable by the sudden drop in fuel prices in 2020 when the strictest of protocols were implemented by the government, resulting in a dramatic reduction in demand.

So, from one unprecedented event of a pandemic-induced demand crash, we are now seeing a kickstart to the economic rebound that would begin with the flogging of the most vulnerable sets — the poor and those belonging to the lower-middle class.

While the transport groups have withdrawn their petition for a fare hike, such a move would be temporary as the drivers and small operators would also carry the brunt of price increases in the most basic of commodities, beginning with food.

The Christmas season would be able to soften the impact for those in the middleclass as those who have kept their jobs amid the pandemic would still be receiving their 13th-month pay.

An extra month’s salary, however, should be kept for other important expenses, like maybe next year’s enrolment of a worker’s children, or maybe to kickstart a small business.

Still, some small business owners are seeking government intervention as they could no longer afford that extra pay.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi remains optimistic that oil prices would spike by another P7 in the next two months, or until the new year.

Cusi, however, admitted that the fuel prices largely depend on the developments in the global market as the Philippines is not a major oil producer.

What the DoE could do, Cusi stated, is cushion the impact on the public by coordinating with the local oil companies for the provision of discounts to motorists.

The Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board will also continue their aid to public utility vehicle drivers.

Still, the projections are not encouraging as the world expects oil to come roaring back, with the developing world expected to guzzle more of it when business becomes usual.

From the looks of it, the usual sign’s been hung in both the corner shops and the big business.