The Law That Helps Nobody But the Oil Companies: Why RA 8479 Must Go

Republic Act 8479 was supposed to bring fair fuel prices through market competition, but after 28 years, the oligopoly it promised to break is still standing while the government lost its power to intervene when prices spiral. With diesel projected to breach P130 per liter during the 2026 Middle East crisis and jeepney drivers spending up to 60 percent of their earnings on fuel, the law is no longer a debatable policy experiment — it is a documented failure. This episode breaks down where RA 8479 came from, why it failed, and what a smarter replacement framework should look like.AI-voiced reading from Morning Coffee Thoughts.