ACTO files P1.50 fare hike bid

Amid soaring fuel prices, a jeepney organization asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) yesterday to raise the minimum fare nationwide by P1.50.

The petition, however, seeks a reduction in charges for every kilometer after the first six kilometers from P1.25 to just 75 centavos.

LTFRB Chairman Elena Bautista, in a text message to The STAR, said the demand would increase the minimum fare from P7.50 to P9 but would in effect reduce the fare for long trips by as much as 50 centavos per kilometer.

The current minimum fare is P7.50 for the first four kilometers and an additional P1.25 for every succeeding kilometer.

"From P7.50 for the first four kilometers, gusto nila (they want to charge) P9 for the first six kilometers and P0.75 for every succeeding kilometer. Ang net result mas mura (The net result is cheaper)," she said.

"For example, from Philcoa to Quiapo is 10 kilometers. At present rates, the fare is P15. This will be down to P13.50 if the new rates apply," she explained.

Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO) president Efren de Luna, who is also Sigaw ng Bayan secretary general, filed the petition yesterday before the LTFRB.

De Luna said a fare increase is badly needed by the jeepney sector because of the rising cost of fuel, coupled with the correlative rise in the costs of essentials and spare parts for the maintenance of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) due to the expanded value added tax (EVAT) and other charges.

Bautista, however, said that a P9 basic fare would be expensive for passengers traveling short distances, especially students. She also stressed that ACTO’s petition will still undergo a public hearing process to determine if it is reasonable or not.

De Luna, himself a jeepney operator, claims that ACTO has 250,000 members nationwide, 60,000 of whom are based in Metro Manila.

Asked how he feels about the report that said lowly construction workers could no longer afford a P9 jeepney fare, De Luna said it is the oil companies that should be blamed for the expensive fare and the not the drivers who could hardly afford to buy food with their meager earnings.

He said that if his petition is granted, he will increase by P50 the current P500 to P800 boundary rates for PUJs.

Meanwhile, a militant group has urged President Arroyo to use her executive power to provide economic relief for workers and not suppress their democratic rights, especially when workers gather on Monday to celebrate Labor Day.

In a joint statement, the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and the Partido ng Manggagawa said that in the face of the worsening poverty situation, workers and urban poor people need jobs, wage increases and wider tax exemptions.

They cited that more than 10 million Filipinos are either unemployed or underemployed and those who have jobs earn only half of the existing P688 daily cost of living in the National Capital Region.

For his part, Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran lashed out at Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas for her statement that workers are not expecting any Labor Day wage increase package.

"This announcement by Sto. Tomas smacks of utter insensitivity and callousness to the plight of Filipino workers, who cannot even manage to bring home decent food on the table and send their children to school. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is passing the buck to the regional wage boards, which are not that interested in granting much-needed salary increases for workers," Beltran said.

"These infuriating schemes will only give workers more reason to rally on May 1," he added. — Sandy Araneta, James Mananghaya