Thursday, June 12, 2008 LTFRB asks transport for proof
THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered transport leaders to submit more evidence to prove they really need a P2.50 increase in the minimum fare.
LTFRB 7 Director Romulo Bernardes issued the order in a public hearing yesterday attended by petitioners Cebu Integrated Transport Multi-Purpose Service Cooperative (Citrasco) and Visayas United Drivers Transport Cooperative (Vudtrasco).
The other transport groups who joined included the Alyansa sa mga Nagkahiusang Drivers Alang sa Reporma (Andar) and the Nagkahiusang Drivers sa Sugbo (Nadsu).
Any additional evidence the petitioners will submit will be forwarded to the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office for comment. The prosecutor’s office represents the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
National
The LTFRB give Citrasco and Vudtrasco five working days to submit the additional evidence, and another five days for Provincial Chief Prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba to comment.
However, LTFRB 7 Legal Officer Jose Douglas Sanson admitted the possibility that the LTFRB central office will decide within this week or next on the petition for a P2.50 increase in the minimum fare filed by transport groups in Manila.
Any order from the LTFRB head office will apply nationwide, except if a provision is added to exempt specific regions where a separate increase is being considered.
Bernardes explained that the official minimum fare in Manila is now P8 for the first four kilometers, after the provisional increase of 50 centavos granted earlier this year. If the pending petition is approved, the minimum fare will become P10 for the first four kilometers.
Bernardes said that should not be applied in Central Visayas, otherwise the increase will amount to P4.
Consensus
The consensus among commuters and drivers yesterday was that a minimum fare of P8 for the first five kilometers would be reasonable.
“If the consensus is P8, there is no reason to make it P10,” Bernardes said.
Citrasco and Vudtrasco both petitioned for a P1.50 increase in November 2007. LTFRB Board Members Ellen Cabatu and Gerardo Pinili conducted a public hearing last Dec. 10, 2007 but no decision was rendered since then.
The petitioners just amended their petition from P1.50 to P2.50.
Whatever evidence and comments are presented, the LTFRB regional office will forward these to their central office in Manila, and it’s up to the LTFRB en banc to decide on the matter, said Bernardes.
Danny Aparicio and Alex Bordadora, Vudtrasco general manager and chairman, respectively, said that the drivers can hardly make P120 per day after working for 12 hours.
