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Planong MRT-3 fare hike 'lagpas 30%,' palalalain inflation — researchers

James Relativo - Philstar.com
Planong MRT-3 fare hike 'lagpas 30%,' palalalain inflation — researchers
Commuters queue for a ride at the MRT-3 North Avenue Station in Quezon City on Monday morning, March 28, 2022.
The STAR / Miguel de Guzman, File

MANILA, Philippines — Kung mataas na ang presyo ng serbisyo't mga bilihin ngayon, maaaring may itataas pa 'yan kung transport inflation ang pag-uusapan sa mga susunod na buwan, sabi ng economic think tank na IBON Foundation.

Gumugulong na kasi ngayon ang public hearings sa pagtataas ng pasahe sa LRT-1, LRT-2 at MRT-3, bagay na napapanahon na raw sabi ng petitioners dahil sa "fare deficit," pagtaas ng presyo ng kuryente at pagpopondo ng mas maraming proyekto.

"Proposed fare hikes for the MRT-3 and LRT-1 and 2 will further burden millions of Filipinos that are already struggling with low wages amid soaring prices of basic goods and services," wika ng IBON sa isang pahayag, Biyernes.

"If approved, MRT-3 fares will increase by as much as 30.8% and the LRT lines 1 and 2 by as much as 16.7%."

Dahil dito, ang single journey ticket mula North Ave. hanggang Taft ay tataas na sa P34 mula sa kasalukuyang P28. Kung gagawin itong roundtrip, papalo na raw ito sa P68 mula sa P56 ngayon.

Ang lahat ng ito ay iminumungkahi matapos sumirit sa 8.7% ang inflation rate nitong Enero 2023, ang pinakamabilis na pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin at serbisyo sa mahigit 14 taon sa Pilipinas.

"Passenger transport services inflation, which includes passenger transport by rapid transit and tram, has spiked from 3.4% in June 2022 to 13.9% in January 2023," banggit pa ng mga progresibong mananaliksik.

Una nang sinabi ng LRTA na kasalukuyang sina-subsidize ng gobyerno ang 51% ng gastusin para sa mga pasahero (break even fare), bagay na gusto pa nilang ibaba sa 46%.

Kinakastigo ito ng mga grupo gaya ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan dahil wala naman daw utos ang Konggreso, Palasyo, Department of Budget and Management at Department of Finance na bawasan ang subsidyo sa pamamagitan ng pagtataas ng pasahe.

Bukod pa rito, napirmahan na rin daw ni Pangulong Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ang pondo ng ginagamit bilang subsidyo sa government-run LRT-2, privately-operated LRT-1 at privately owned MRT-3.

'Wage hike, hindi fare hike'

Kung tatanungin naman ang mga karaniwang manggagawa, hindi raw taas pasahe ang kailangan nila ngayon sa papatinding inflation, mabababang sahod at 51% na self-rated poverty sa bansa.

"With record-high inflation, workers wages have further eroded. The current P570 daily minimum wage in NCR is now only worth P482 in real value — or a loss of 88 pesos," sambit ng Kilusang Mayo Uno sa kanilang position paper.

"The latest inflation of 8.7% continues to widen the gap between the minimum wage and the family living wage. P570 is less than half of the P1,161 NCR family living wage which is what a family of five should receive in order to live decently."

Mas mababa rin daw nang husto ang arawang sahod ng mga nakatira sa rehiyon ng Gitnang Luzon at Calabarzon na siyang nasa P460, bagay na dapat din daw isipin lalo na't may mga nagtratrabaho sa probinsya ngunit nakatira sa Metro Manila. Sumasakay din ng tren ang mga nabanggit.

Bagama't serbisyo publiko dapat ang LRT-MRT na abot-kaya sana ng lahat, naaapektuhan daw ito nang husto ng mga pinapasukang public-private partnerships ng gobyerno gaya na lang sa mass transportation.

"Transportation expenses eat up a significant portion of a workers’ wage. Workers detest any peso deducted or lost from their take home pay because it equates to less money for food and other basic needs. This is the reality for many of our kababayans," dagdag pa ng KMU.

"Commuters — who are mostly ordinary income earners, students, and jobless/job-seekers — and the Filipino people in general must unite and oppose this proposal. Public interest must always prevail and should be the government’s top priority."

FARE HIKES

IBON FOUNDATION

INFLATION

KILUSANG MAYO UNO

LRT-1

LRT-2

MRT-3

WAGE HIKE

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