In Cebu, region 7: P6.50 PUJ fare starting Monday

CEBU, Philippines - The minimum jeepney fare in Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas will be back to P6.50 starting Monday, February 8.

This was confirmed yesterday by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. 

Regional director Rey Elnar said the recent order of the board will be published officially tomorrow, Sunday.

“Ako ni ipa-publish ugma (today) unya sa Sunday man na mogawas sa newspaper and the order said that the new fare shall take effect after publication, so Monday na ni mo-take effect ang bag-ong pletehan,” Elnar said yesterday.

The current minimum fare is P7. 

It was former Cebu City councilor Jun Pe who sought for the fare reduction in November 2014.

Two months ago, Elnar recommended that the LTFRB grant the requested P.50 reduction. January this year, LTFRB en banc approved the recommendation.

Ryan Benjamin Yu, chairman of the Cebu Confederation of Transport Operators and Drivers Association, Inc. and general manager of CITRASCO, said LTFRB should have given them ample time to disseminate the information.

“They only gave us two days to disseminate the information to our drivers. Dapat gyud unta at least five days para naa mi igong panahon pagsulti sa maong mga drivers,” said Yu, also the general manager of CITRASCO.

He said they have no choice but to follow the order otherwise they will be accused of overcharging.

The development, he said, may have come at an unfortunate time especially that oil companies have just increased the price of fuel.

According to the Department of Energy, local oil companies increased the price of gasoline by P0.04 per liter, diesel by P1.05 per liter, and kerosene by P1.20 per liter. This took effect on February 2, 2016.    On Monday, LTFRB-7 inspectors will give jeepney operators a certification on the new fare order in lieu of a fare matrix.

“No need of a new fare matrix because the fare reduction is only provisional,” Elnar said.

Lower still?

Aside from Pe’s petition, another one remains pending at LTFRB – the one filed by lawyer Manuel Iway.

The board will hear Iway’s petition next week on February 10.

Iway, the current representative of the first district of Negros Oriental, filed his petition last August 7 to reduce the minimum jeepney fare in Central Visayas by P1 and an additional P.25 for the succeeding kilometer. — /JMO (FREEMAN)