MANILA: Millions of Filipinos have returned to their hometowns for the Easter holiday, undeterred by rising fuel costs triggered by the Iran war.
In Asia’s largest Christian-majority nation, with more than 85 million Catholics, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter — known as Holy Week — is the most sacred time of the year, marked with traditions and family gatherings.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said earlier this week that officials were expecting more than 5 million people to travel during the period, despite fuel prices hitting record highs.
For Raymond Hibernia, a 59-year-old public sector worker from the Manila capital region, faith and tradition are more important than the expense.
“We’re not letting the price of gasoline affect our plans,” he told Arab News.
Along with his wife and daughter, Hibernia has upheld the tradition of visita iglesia, Spanish for church visit, which involves visiting at least seven churches during Holy Thursday or Good Friday.
As the family made their way from Malabon to Batangas, they used about 20 liters of gasoline.
“No temporary inconvenience should prevent us from doing what we think is right. Faith is more important, and (visita iglesia) is already a tradition,” Hibernia said.
The Philippines, which depends almost entirely on the Middle East for its crude oil imports, has declared a state of national emergency over energy supply disruptions caused by the war.
The move, announced on March 24, came after sharp rises in the cost of petrol, gas and diesel in the country following the US-Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, which caused the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of Asia’s energy supply transits.
Diesel is estimated to reach 144.80 pesos ($2.40) per liter this week, according to the Department of Energy, more than twice the price it was before the war.
Felinor Baltazar, who drove with her family from Manila to the eastern Bicol province, almost skipped Easter travel this year because of the hefty fuel costs.
“We talked about whether to push through because of the gasoline that is now so expensive. But then we decided to push through because we have been planning this for a long time,” she told Arab News.
“We will just bring one car, the new one — it uses gasoline. The (other car) uses diesel. That would be very expensive.”
But not everyone will be heading home for the holidays. The rising fuel prices mean Elpidio Arcillas will be unable to travel to his hometown of Bicol this year.
“We decided to just stay home, the gasoline is so expensive. We don’t have the budget at the moment,” he told Arab News.
“Maybe next time, next Holy Week. I’m hoping by that time the price of gasoline will go back to normal.”
