Oil Shock Curbs Easter Travel in the Philippines as People Pare Back

For the first time since the pandemic, Hiraya Mendez dropped plans to drive back to her home in Nueva Ecija province, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Manila, during the Easter holiday weekend that starts Thursday. Instead, she’s taking her two young cousins for a swim at a condominium she’s renting near the capital.

“When you go home, you have to prepare, organize prayer vigils and feed the neighbors,” the 29-year old manager at a fintech firm said. “It’s just not part of the budget right now, especially with how fast diesel prices are rising.”