However, it has offered to facilitate a P2-discount on the price of fuel.

LTFRB 7 officials met yesterday for a Director’s Conference but the board decided not to give in to the demand of the transport group to make the minimum fare in Cebu P7.50.

LTFRB 7 Director Romulo Bernaldez said the board is lukewarm on the porposed fare increase because of the impact that it will bring to consumers, especially with the increase in the prices of basic commodities.

Instead of the fare hike, the LTFRB 7 is proposing a P2 subsidy on the price of fuel with the board drafting the mechanism of the program, which includes giving pass books to public utility drivers.

"The increase in fare will create a big impact to the price of commodities so the government instead proposes a P2-discount on fuel," said Bernaldez.

LTFRB 7 Executive Director Manny Mahipos urged the transport group not to hostage the public by paralyzing the transport system through a transport hike.

He said the board will decide on the fare increase probably by next month but said they would only tackle the P.50 increase.

As this developed, various transport groups in Cebu have decided to join the nationwide transport strike scheduled next week, although some groups also said they will simply conduct rallies instead of paralyzing the transport system in Cebu.

Among those who have confirmed participation in the nationwide strike are the City Transport Cooperative (Citrasco), one of the largest transport cooperatives in the Visayas; the transport groups from the northern and southern towns of Cebu, and the Alyansa sa mga Nagkahiusang Drayber-Operator Alang sa Reporma (Andar).

Andar has about 2,000 member units plying the routes within Metro Cebu while Citrasco has 800 public utility jeepneys and 300 taxi units.

The Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo (Nadsu) North Bound Federation, said the government should listen to the clamor of Cebu’s public transport jeepney (PUJ) drivers to raise the minimum fare from P6 to P7.50.

While Manila drivers have been collecting P7.50 minimum fare, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) only allowed Cebu drivers to collect a P6 minimum fare since 2005.