Central Luzon drivers won’t seek fare increase

ANGELES CITY — Despite fuel price hikes, the Pinagkai—sang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) assured commuters in Central Luzon yesterday that jeepney drivers will not seek any fare increase in the region until the government grants the labor sector’s demand for a P125 across-the-board wage increase.

Waldy Santos, Piston spokesman for Central Luzon, said his group, which has about 20,000 members in Pampanga alone, is adopting this policy "because we do not want to add more burden to the commuting public."

"Drivers are still willing to sacrifice because we know the public is also burdened with the rise in the cost of living," he said.

Santos said a jeepney operator-driver could still earn P350 if he plies his route 10 to 12 hours a day, while someone who pays a "boundary fee" takes home only about P125.

"The prevailing boundary rate is P350 to P400, with as much as 12 to 14 liters of diesel needed to ply routes about eight times," he said.

Santos lamented that in Angeles City, the burden of jeepney drivers is compounded by heavy traffic amid the lack of traffic enforcers along busy thoroughfares.

"There is also the problem of hulidap policemen who extort from jeepney drivers for their merienda," he said.

Santos said only about 10 percent of gas stations offer jeepney drivers a discount of about one peso on diesel fuel.

"Often, the discounts are given only after driver associations negotiate with gas station owners and managers, without any assistance from the government," he said.