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Manila: As inflation soars in the Philippines and gasoline prices climb relentlessly, more and more commuters in the capital are squeezing into suburban trains and public buses, putting an enormous strain on the services.
On the positive side, Manila's legendary traffic jams are diminishing, but that's only good news for those who can afford to travel by car in the city of 15 million people.
Unlike consumers in many other Asian countries which subsidise fuel prices, Filipinos are forced to pay the free-market rate for gas.
So far this year, they have been hit with 18 price hikes for a total increase of over 35 per cent as global oil prices climb to stratospheric levels.
With unleaded gas now costing over 61 pesos (Dh4.92) a litre, tens of thousands of car owners are joining the queues for Manila's already overcrowded above-ground suburban train system.
"It's a terrible journey," says Nestor Del Rosario, an executive at a call centre who was travelling to the capital's Makati business district one recent morning by suburban train.
"The line to get on starts from the back of the train. I have never got a seat."
Around him people were wedged like sardines into the car and women cooled themselves with hand-held fans despite the air-conditioning. During the morning peak hour, queues to enter train stations trail down staircases into streets.
Trains are cheap, a key factor in a nation where one-third of the population lives on less than $1 a day. With inflation reaching an annual 11.4 per cent in June, the highest in 14 years, the pressure on the poor is worse than before.
Attempts to cut costs
Manila is by far the richest city in the country, but its substantial middle class is susceptible to the fuel and food price increases that have led the inflationary surge.
For those looking to cut travel costs, the minimum train fare is a subsidised 12 pesos. But because there are only three suburban lines across the city, commuters then have to take a bus or a passenger van to their destination at a cost of a few more pesos.
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