By any reasonable measure, the Philippines is drifting toward a transport crisis that is no longer cyclical, but structural. If the government refuses to act decisively on surging fuel prices, the country risks something far more dangerous than periodic strikes: a systemic transport collapse with cascading economic and social consequences. Recent events are not subtle warning signs—they are early-stage failures. Fuel prices have surged dramatically amid global supply shocks, wiping out the already thin margins of jeepney and tricycle drivers. Drivers now face a daily arithmetic that no longer works: rising fuel costs, stagnant fares, and dwindling take-home income. Nationwide strikes have followed, with transport groups warning that current subsidies and tax adjustments are insufficient. This is how collapse begins—not with...