No opposition was raised during the public hearing on the petition to increase fares by P2.50 in Lapu-Lapu City./CDN FILE PHOTO
THE P2.50 fare hike proposed by the Basak-Lapu-Lapu City Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (BALACJODA) was met with almost no opposition during the public hearing on Monday.
Only one concerned citizen, Edward Latido, chose to speak out during the public hearing to express his opinion that the proposed fare hike may be too much for the commuters.
“Ngano ato paman ipasaka ang plite didto sa P9 nga dili man ta pareho sa Manila og minimum wage? Abi P9 didto, dapat P9 sad diri. (Why do we need to raise the fare to P9 when we don’t have the same minimum wage as Manila? Just because the fare is P9 there, it doesn’t mean that same should happen here,” said Latido.
The minimum fare in Manila was raised to P9 from P8 last July while their minimum wage remains at P512.
Aside from Latido, no other sector representatives were present to oppose the fare hike proposal of BALACJODA which according to their spokesperson, Metudio Belarmino, makes them more confident that their proposal would be approved.
Belarmino said that the proposed adjustments to the minimum fare will alleviate the economic problems experienced by jeepney drivers by providing them a bigger take home pay.
“Sa unom ka rounds sa among mga jeepney drivers, nagbayad pa sila sa operators sa jeep ug sa gasolina. Ilang mauli sa balay kay P190 hangtud 200 nalang nga mas ubos sa atong minimum wage nga P386,” said Belarmino
(In six rounds made by jeepney drivers, they still have to pay the jeepney operators and the gasoline. Their take home pay runs from P190 to P200 which is lower than the minimum wage of P386.)
If the fare hike is approved, drivers can now have a minimum take home pay of P416, higher than the minimum wage in Central Visayas.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) Regional Director, Eduardo Montealto, Jr., said that although the proposal met no opposition during the public hearing, LTFRB-7 will continue to study the proposal.
“We will be sending the proposals to different sectors for comments. Only then will we decide,” said Montealto.
The proposal will be sent to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for review.
“We will not deliver any decision unless the proper agencies have looked into the proposal,” Montealto said.
Belarmino warned that they will give LTFRB one week to decide before making their next move, which could be a transport strike.