EDITORIAL - Hoping for a fair judgment

The petition for a P2.50 provisional fare increase filed by the Basak-Lapu-Lapu City Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association will be the main agenda when the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7 will convene next month.

The hearing on October 15 will be the second by the LTFRB’s regional office on BALACJODA’s petition. In January, the fare regulatory body turned down the original petition of the group for a P5.50 fare hike.

If approved, the minimum public utility jeepney fare in Cebu will be P9, up from the present P6.50. BALACJODA contended in its petition that it seeks for a fare adjustment because of the increasing fuel prices.

However, any fare increase should not be a burden to the commuters. It is not only the public utility vehicle operators and their drivers who are being seriously affected by the high gasoline prices.

The riding public has also been grimly hit by the increasing fuel prices, which have pushed upward prices of goods, especially the basic commodities. In this country, we are so heavily reliant on fuel we import from other countries to power almost everything that even a slight price increase would trigger a domino effect.

Therefore, it is important that the LTFRB-7 officials should also consider the plight of commuters when they gather to discuss the new fare hike petition. They should remember that the fuel price hikes are not only affecting the transport sector but the general population as well.

Any decision increasing the minimum fare in Cebu and Central Visayas should not have to take a heavy toll on the riding public, whose purchasing power has been greatly crippled by the rising inflation

Yes, we understand the plight of those in the transport sector. However, should the LTFRB-7 decide to hike the minimum fare, the public hopes that any decision will revolve around a fair judgment.