Hundreds of vendors of Mall of the Valley (MoV), a supermarket in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, signed a petition calling for the immediate stop to the US-Israel war of aggression against Iran. Alongside this, they demanded the reduction of oil prices which rose due to the war, and press the government to provide financial support to small vendors affected by the worsening oil crisis.

The vendors hung and posted statements at their stalls to amplify their call to more people. They highlighted demands to lower oil prices and basic commodities, which directly hit their livelihood and daily income.

The vendors said their incomes have dropped by nearly 60 percent since prices surged because of the war of aggression. “We cannot stop selling even amid almost zero profits because we are sending our children to school,” Pacita Calucag, a dried fish vendor, said.

Campaign participants demanded that the local government of Tuguegarao and Cagayan listen to their call for a dialogue and find concrete measures to address their grievances.

“We did not start that war but we are the ones directly affected. It must stop to spare ordinary people from getting dragged in it. The national government must also remove the Excise Tax and VAT on oil to reduce its price,” another vendor Anastacia Baggay said.

Despite selling for over eight hours daily, the vendors said their earnings are often even lower than the minimum wage. They also cannot easily raise prices of their products for fear of losing more customers, on top of strict monitoring by the Department of Trade and Industry on commodity prices.

The vendors called for immediate action from the national and local government to provide sufficient support to small businesses and prevent further worsening of their condition.