Impending doom?

I was a bright-eyed, idealistic “Iskolar ng Bayan” when I first concerned myself with fuel prices and its effects on our daily lives. More than two decades since I paid for my first full tank of fuel, I realize that we’re still plagued by the same problems, and are still held back by the absence of a viable long-term solution to our woes. These days, in fact, with the dawn of the internet, the common man’s voice seems even much louder – hence we read, see and hear so many more suggestions and opinions than we ever have before. Yet we remain helpless and at the mercy of the whims of the global economy. Are we doomed to fall further down into the depths of economic misery because of our dependence on traditional fuel sources? Or is there really a way to rise above this seemingly endless downward spiral?

First things first… Let’s dissect how our new-found freedom has allowed us all to play a more pro-active role in finding a long-term solution to our dependence on fossil fuels. With each new news post on how fuel prices flip-flop (mostly they “flop”), you can be sure there will be a comment thread that will follow. And it’s very interesting to browse through these threads as they pretty much give one a glimpse into the level of understanding that the general public has about the situation. It also shows the public’s sentiments on the economy and society in general.

If you read through a thread about fuel prices and modern mobility, it‘s likely you’ll go through some educated hard line arguments like, “We must restructure our fuel taxation laws in order to relax the effects of rising pump prices on the end user.” You’ll also go through the idealistic arguments like, “We need to develop our technological know-how on alternative fuels so that our mobility becomes less dependent on traditional fuel sources.” And quite often (unfortunately), you’ll browse through some absurd socially dividing suggestion like, “Let the big SUV owners shoulder the bulk of the oil importation costs so as to spare the little people.” As if dependence on fossil fuels were strictly the burden of a few… The bad, however, one must really take with the good.

What our government can get from all these discussions is plain to see. A pulse is out there. A socially acceptable solution is being thrown around and discussed. And if you’re keen, then you’d have already deduced which one it is. Because while restructuring our laws will potentially keep us afloat for now, the long-term solution of finding alternative fuel sources and technologies upon which we can depend for our mobility is the most logically sound suggestion out there.

What to do, then? Our government can start by focusing on preparing us for a future where alternative businesses that address our mobility woes are given as much a chance as any in the mobility sector at the moment. If, for once, this country which has been beset by political infighting since before even I was born focuses on finding solutions instead of scapegoats, then we can potentially achieve something more for our children. We can start by working on policy. And then further down the line, by working on legislation that can open the doors for alternative fuel source businesses.

Let me give a concrete example. The country’s biggest car manufacturer, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), has bitten the bullet and made a strong statement by bringing in hybrid vehicles. These vehicles (like the Toyota Prius and the Lexus CT200h and RX450h), can in fact be sold at a much more competitive price were TMP given a tax shield for the earth-friendly variants. I know this for a fact since I have had discussions with people whose job it is to price the vehicles. Alas, without the tax shield legislation (this model isn’t new – it’s why hybrids are much more commonplace in Japan and the United States), TMP is forced to price the vehicles more expensively – a fact that is not lost on internet savvy Filipinos who research the prices of cars in other markets. This small but ultimately loud minority makes it a point to stress the difference in price of these hybrids – in turn turning off many a potential Filipino buyer. In other words, by bringing in hybrid vehicles, TMP is operating at a potential loss for the variants but is making a very strong statement: help us make this a win-win situation for everyone further down the line.

Far be it for me to sound like a narcissistic know-it-all but I feel that the argument to open up policy and legislation in order to favor alternative fuel sources is unassailable – given the realities that we face. In the two decades that I have been paying for my vehicles’ fuel, I don’t remember ever seeing the price of fossil fuels go down steadily. The prices do occasionally fluctuate, but at the end of the day, my P200 full tank (which used to last me a week) has ballooned into P3,000. Unless we react to the reality, we are doomed.

In 1990, as a bright-eyed, idealistic “Iskolar ng Bayan”, I felt that my generation had the chance to change it all for good. I thought we could roll with the punches, take the beating the world could give yet along the way, change how we played the game. We could have opened up to alternative fuels a long time ago. We could have spared each and every Filipino the Peso-pinching and the perennial arguing. Yet we still argued and still pushed and shoved each other instead of pushing and shoving collectively in the right direction. Shame on us.

Here’s hoping that today, with impending doom staring us right in the face, we learn to move forward together. These fossil fuels and the products that come along with them are finite, and they’ll just keep getting more and more expensive as the years go by – history has proven that. Let’s move on. Let’s get this show moving. Let’s start working on policy and legislation that will open this country up to hybrids, electric vehicles and other alternative fuel sourced vehicles. Enough infighting. Please.