Lone ‘Commuter’ opposes fare hike petitions

A man calling himself “A Commuter” has filed his opposition to the fare increase petitions by transport groups for their allegedly disregarding the law when they staged a transport strike on April 18, 2005 that stranded thousands of commuters all over the country.

Antonio Baltazar, a resident of Tondo, Manila, filed his opposition with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) last Tuesday.

He seeks to block moves by transport operators to increase the minimum jeepney fare to P9 and minimum fare for ordinary buses to P10.50.

Baltazar said the new petitions filed by these groups are premature because there is still a pending fare hike petition filed on May 9, 2005 that was not resolved by the LTFRB.

He said the legality of the strike, which occurred the month before the petition was filed, still needs to be resolved as former LTFRB chair Elena Bautista warned operators that their franchise will be cancelled if their strike is proven to be illegal.

Baltazar said the “approval of their petition for the fare increase (is based) on the premise that if the strike was found illegal the petitions would have become moot and academic.” – Perseus Echeminada