Thursday, October 12, 2006
Amid rollbacks, fare rates still up
By Danilo V. Adorador III
DESPITE the recent rollbacks in petroleum prices, cutback in fare rates remains untenable because the prices of spare parts and basic commodities have not gone down, officials and transport groups said.
Mandangan Darimbang, head of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Northern Mindanao, said he supports calls to reduce fares in public utility vehicles, but insisted that the time was not yet ripe for it.
There are factors to be considered in lowering down fare rates. Among these are the prevailing prices of petroleum products, basic goods and vehicle components, Darimbang said.
A decrease in petroleum prices doesn't necessarily guarantee a cutback in fare rates since other factors must also be considered, pointed out Darimbang.
Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, head of the public utility committee in the City shared this view, saying the volatile nature of oil prices make it impractical a gauge for fare rollbacks.
Early this week, LTFRB chairman Ma. Elena Bautista drew flak from transport leaders in Manila for voicing her support to a fare cut.
Local transport group Trafeco joined the fray, saying Bautista was not in the position to say whether a fare rollback was needed.
Virgilio Valmoria, Trafeco president, said Cagayan de Oro and the rest of Northern Mindanao already enjoy a relatively low fare rates compared to the cities of Davao, Cebu, and Manila.
"For PUJ (public utility jeepney), the fare rate for Cagayan de Oro and neighboring places is pegged at P6.50 -- a difference of P1 compared to other regions," he told Sun.Star in a mobile phone interview. "Also, we have to consider that the prices of spare parts have not gone down."
Darimbang said LTFRB will accommodate any petition asking for a decrease in fare rates, adding any private individual or group initiate such a move.
Nacaya, on the other hand, said his committee will also endorse similar request on motorized tricycles or motorela, whose fare rate is governed by the City Government.
(October 12, 2006 issue)
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