By E. T. SUAREZ
Transport, commuter, and labor groups joined forces yesterday to oppose the new fare increase which is set to take effect on Thursday, May 26.
They said that the average wage earners and members of their families cannot afford a hike in transport fares as the new wage hike promised by President Arroyo is not yet approved, power rates remain on the upswing, and prices of basic commodities, including those that the people need daily, continue to go up.
The groups, led by the Pinagisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), the National Council for Consumer Protection (NCCP), and the Integrated Labor Organization of the Philippines (ILOP) appealed to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Congress to stop the implementation of the new fare increase.
The new fare hike was approved by the LTFRB last May 9. It raised the minimum jeepney fare by
R2 from R5.50 to R7.50 for the first five kilometers and 25 centavos per succeeding kilometer. It also allowed the minimum bus fare to go up from R6 to R8 for the first five kilometers and 50 centavos per succeeding kilometer.
PISTON president Mar Garvida said the new fare increase, if not stopped, will bring more hardships for commuters as they virtually struggle everyday to keep their body and soul together due to the continuous rise in the prices of basic commodities and services brought about by the surging oil prices.
Garvida called on other transport and organized groups to join PISTON in its campaign for the dismantling of the oil cartel and for the immediate repeal of the Oil Industry Deregulation Act which allows oil companies to dictate petroleum prices.
The commuters groups under the umbrella of NCCP said the LTFRB did not look into the merit of the petition filed by the Philippine Confederation of Drivers Organization-Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators (PCDO-ACTO) and the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP) and the chain reaction that the fare hike could trigger.
Noting that Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza ordered the LTFRB at the height of the transport strike last April 11 to approve the PCDO-ACTO and FEJODAP petitions for a fare increase within 10 days, the NCCP accused the LTFRB of apparent haste in releasing its decision.
