Soaring inflation is making South-East Asians hungrier and poorer

Nick ganzon is tinkering with the engine of his jeepney, a kind of elongated jeep that shuttles commuters around Manila, the capital of the Philippines. That his car has broken down is yet another stroke of bad luck, for Mr Ganzon’s fortunes have also ground to a halt. The price of diesel is painfully high. When it hit 40 pesos ($1.96) a litre two years ago, Mr Ganzon “panicked”. Now a litre costs 88 pesos. “All our income goes to diesel,” he says. The 67-year-old has tightened his belt: a self-described drinker, he has given up booze and cut back on food. His son, Mariel, also a jeepney driver, worries about being able to afford milk for his two young children.