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Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Fare rollback effective Wednesday
MANILA -- The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) gave Tuesday the go-signal to implement the long-awaited fare rollback.
“Starting Wednesday, the fare for jeepneys is P8 for the first four kilometers from the present P8.50 and P9 from P10 for ordinary buses for the first five kilometers,” said LTFRB Chairman Thompson Lantion.
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The board composed of Lantion and members Engineer Gerardo Pinili and lawyer Ma. Elena Cabatu has approved the provisional fare rollback of P.50 for jeepneys and a P1 rollback for buses after the meeting with different representatives of transport groups, oil companies, consumers and commuter groups Tuesday morning.
Lantion said air-conditioned buses will also have to cut back their fares by P1.50 for the first five kilometers for the provincial buses. However, this will take effect on Monday.
The board's decision, according to him, was in answer to the petition filed by the National Consumer and Commuters Protection Inc. (NCCPI) headed by its chairman and counsel Vic Millora.
"This is also the answer to the series of rollbacks implemented by oil companies in their diesel and gasoline," the LTFRB chief said.
In its petition, the NCCPI argued for a fare rollback as it noted the dramatic plunge of oil prices in the international market from as high as US$147 per barrel to US$67 to US$60 per barrel.
Local oil players led by the "Big Three" -- Shell, Petron and Chevron -- have announced a series of cutback in pump prices topped by last week's P5 per liter rollback for diesel and P2 for gasoline.
Independent oil player, Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc. (UPPI) even made a bigger cut of P6 per liter for diesel and P2.50 for gasoline.
In Central Visayas, LTFRB Director Romulo Bernardes said they will distribute a notice to be displayed in jeepneys, stating that the minimum fare is now P7.50.
Even without the notice, Bernardes said, jeepney drivers are obligated to implement the provisional fare reduction.
Bernardes also said that LTFRB will conduct another public hearing on December 3 to set the final amount by which fares will be reduced.
Welcomed decision
Transport groups, meanwhile, welcomed the LTFRB decision, saying they are just awaiting the formal copy of the order for distribution to their members.
Engineer Homer Mercado of Provincial Bus Operators Associations of the Philippines (PBOAP) said their group is prepared to implement the decision.
"That is why we are here in this hearing. We do not have a problem with LTFRB's decision. That is approved," said Mercado.
For Obet Martin, another jeepney leader, the P.50 fare rollback for jeepney was a win-win decision of LTFRB. "The decision was fair to all."
The same sentiment was echoed by members of city transport associations in Pampanga who said the P.50 that could be saved by people is already substantial. "Life is really difficult nowadays, especially since Christmas is nearing."
Mang Sid, a driver aged 56, who admitted having seen the roller coaster trend of gas prices and transport fares, jokingly said: "At this time, you can now start saving your 25-centavo coins. And us, our change will get back to the usual P1 coins. It's okay to have the fare rolled back to P8. We just hope that gas prices will not be increased soon."
’An insult’
However, a former regional director of the LTFRB, Manuel Iway, said the P0.50 reduction in fares is “an insult” to the riding public.
Iway described the public hearing in Manila Tuesday as a “moro-moro” (a staged or scripted event) because they only asked the jeepney operators how much fare reduction they want.
“The LTFRB should have decided based on evidence and not on suggestions from the operators,” Iway said.
He also criticized the LTFRB for refusing to remove the P10 add-on fare for taxis, even if this is “unreasonable and unfair” to the riding public because liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is much cheaper than diesel or gasoline.
Iway said the problem with some LTFRB officials is that they always accept dinner invitations from taxi operators, which creates a conflict of interest.
“It seems they are siding with the interest of the big-time taxi operators rather than promoting the interest of the riding public,” Iway said. (AH/IOF/JTD/With EOB and GC of Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (November 5, 2008 issue)
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