The Manila Times
(UPDATE) THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has scheduled a public hearing on a petition filed by transport group Piston seeking a P10 increase in the minimum fare for public utility jeepney (PUJ), its chairman said Tuesday. LTFRB Chairman Vigor Mendoza II said the petition would undergo formal review, with commuter groups and other stakeholders invited to submit their positions as part of the regulatory process. “I have already ordered that it be set for a hearing. We will also allow commuter groups and other sectors to comment,” Mendoza said in an interview, noting the urgency of the request. The current minimum jeepney fare stands at P13. If approved, the proposed increase would bring it to P23. Mendoza said fare adjustments are typically guided by fuel price movements, citing a long-standing rule of thumb of a P1 fare increase for every P10 rise in fuel prices. Under this benchmark, a P10 hike would correspond to an estimated P100 increase in fuel costs. However, he noted that while fuel prices had previously surged to levels that could justify such an adjustment, recent declines could affect the basis of the petition. The LTFRB chief said the board would weigh the petition against commuter affordability and broader economic conditions. “We will study that, and most important of all is the balance and affordability for our commuters. Can they afford the additional P10 if we grant it?” he said. Mendoza also recalled that the board had issued a decision on an earlier fare-hike petition more than two years ago. But its implementation was deferred due to concerns over its impact on the public. He said the timeline for resolving the new petition would depend on the level of opposition. If uncontested, a decision could be reached within two to three months, subject to requirements such as publication notices, consultation with the Office of the Solicitor General, and coordination with economic and labor agencies. “It depends on the opposition. If there is none, the process will be faster,” he said. Mendoza warned that any fare increase could have wider economic implications, noting that jeepney fares tend to have a significant inflationary effect due to their widespread use. Scant price rollback Transport group Manibela on Tuesday said that the inadequate diesel price rollback and a government fuel aid system that continues to burden drivers forced them to call for a three-day strike. The group said the rollback did not match cuts in world prices, and the costs at the pump have remained unjustly high. Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said transport workers expected a much bigger rollback, with fuel prices still hovering at around P94 to P100 per liter. “We expected that the rollback now should not be lower than P75 already, but why is it only P25?” Valbuena said. He said oil firms were quick to raise prices when global oil prices surged, but slow to cut them when the market moved down. Valbuena also hit the government’s subsidy distribution, saying the process had dragged on for weeks and forced drivers to comply with changing requirements repeatedly. He said the system was making drivers suffer to access public aid funded by taxpayers’ money. “It is not just or fair. The aid distribution system is being used for politics,” he said. Valbuena said many drivers in Metro Manila had been lining up for two to three weeks, only to be told to return with additional documents or corrections in their records. He said the changing requirements showed how inefficient and burdensome the process had become for transport workers already struggling with high fuel costs. “It is the taxpayers’ money. Why make it hard for us?” he said. Valbuena said transport groups were continuing the protest because they would not accept what they viewed as a misleading rollback and a broken subsidy system. WITH A REPORT FROM JAMES DANIEL DANIO
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