Noy: LRT, MRT fare hike unpopular but long overdue

ROMBLON, Romblon, Philippines — President Aquino defended yesterday the increase in fares of the Light Rail Transits 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit 3 despite opposition from various sectors, saying he was willing to take the bullet for an unpopular but long overdue decision to improve train services.

“There is no perfect decision here,” Aquino said, noting the complaints from those who would have additional expenses daily were expected.  

But then he said the 86 million other Filipinos outside of Metro Manila who were not using the trains deserved to have projects that would directly benefit them.

He told reporters that the contributions of non-Metro Manila residents should have been decreased a long time ago.

“Mula panahon pa, hindi naman ni Magellan pero noong pagkatagal-tagal na,” Aquino said, referring to an old Filipino joke about something from long ago that would date back to the time Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led a Spanish expedition and discovered the Philippines.

Taxes, higher fares and prices are always a bitter pill to swallow for the people but Aquino said he did not want to leave the LRT and MRT problems behind.

In his speech, Aquino said he has no more qualms about leaving office by 2016. The President was here for the aerial inspection of the Romblon-Sawang-Agpanabat provincial road and ceremonial inauguration of new buildings at the Romblon Provincial Hospital and Romblon Public Theater in Poblacion.

“The decision is not about popularity, okay. I don’t want to be part of the problem,” he said, noting that he could not defer the increase and then just pray to St. Jude that the trains would run safely until the end of his term and the burden would be on the shoulders of his successor.

The President admitted he was told that the timing of the decision was bad but the truth was that the issue about increasing train fare structures had been around since 2011.

Offer solutions

He urged those criticizing him to offer solutions that would solve train woes without fare hikes.

Aquino appealed to the train commuters to consider the fact that the train facilities being used by 14 million people were also being paid for by 86 million other Filipinos.

He explained the government would have to subsidize P45 out of the P60 daily expenditure per train passenger from end to end because commuters were only paying P15.

“Now what’s painful is that the equipment is old. The newest (relatively) is MRT (that was built) in 1999,” the President said.

He said it had been 16 years since MRT 3 was constructed and the major overhaul was done eight years ago. 

The President said the P12-billion subsidy from the government could just make the trains run daily.

“Can we improve them (with the subsidy)? No. Can we add service? No. Pwede mo bang basta mapatakbo lang ‘yung tawag sa amin noong bata kami ‘maskipaps’ or maski-papaano. We spend P12 billion for that (daily operations),” Aquino said.

The President said the 86 million non-train users could very well question why they had to pay the P45 subsidy for a passenger daily without any benefit.

Aquino said the people in the provinces could also ask for better public transport, airports and seaports for them.

The President stressed the P2-billion subsidy that would be taken out of train operations could be used for other programs while the P10 billion retained by Congress would be allotted for improvements of the train system — for escalators, elevators, comfort rooms, waiting areas.

He again said he could not depend on luck to keep the trains running.

The President said taking the trains should be better than the bus and thus he wondered why people were willing to pay higher for an air-conditioned bus than the train.

Aquino said there would be additional train coaches and facilities like the signaling system, among others that would be changed.

The President told the noisiest of his critics that his ears were open all the time and ready to listen if there would be suggestions to solve the problem.

“If they could solve the problem, I will listen. If what they have is better, then what are we going to do? Pero kung puro reklamo at wala namang solusyon na inihahain, talagang nagpapa-cute lang sila at wala silang hilig na magkaroon ng solusyon sa problema,” Aquino said.

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) has decried additional fare increases to be shouldered by commuters using the LRT 1.

Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said this was admitted by officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) in the House public hearing last Thursday.

“The DOTC admitted that under a concession agreement with the Light Rail Manila Consortium of Ayala and Metro Pacific, the private operator will be getting a 10.25-percent fare increase every two years, regardless of their financial standing,” the group noted.

Lawmakers also assailed President Aquino for what they said was his insensitive and insulting remarks that critics of the MRT and LRT fare hikes were just seeking publicity.

Buhay party-list Rep. Joselito Atienza said it was unfortunate that Aquino did not see the issue as about the ordinary commuters’ welfare and effect of the fare hikes on their daily wages.

“I’m very disappointed if that’s how he (Aquino) sees the issue. This is not about politics or papogi. This is about the ordinary Filipinos’ condition and the mandate that the MRT and LRT provide the most efficient ride at the minimum cost,” Atienza said.

Abakada-Guro party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz and former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño said the comment was insulting for those fighting the fare hikes, including senior administration lawmakers who do not support the move.

De la Cruz said several lawmakers from Aquino’s Liberal Party were strongly opposed to the fare hikes but could not say so openly for fear of reprisals.

Casiño, one of the petitioners before the Supreme Court against fare hikes, said it was “tragic that Aquino trivialized what is a very important gut issue for ordinary Filipinos, especially the minimum wage earners who are already overtaxed.”

Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello, one of Aquino’s allies, said that minimum wage earners would be among the hardest hit by the fare increases.

Citing data from the 2013 Annual Poverty Indicator Survey (APIS), Bello said citizens residing in the National Capital Region (NCR) are spending around P42 per day on transportation – 6.6 percent of the daily household budget. 

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo urged Malacañang to certify as urgent a bill creating a Rail Regulatory Board “to supervise, oversee, and regulate” the country’s railway system. – With Christina Mendez, Rhodina Villanueva, Paolo Romero