Groups to question LRT, MRT fare hike

MANILA, Philippines – Militant groups led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) will question the fare increase of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) lines in January next year.

Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said they would seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the fare hike on Jan. 5, together with non-government organizations Riles Laan sa Sambayanan (Riles) Network and Train Riders Network (Tren).

“We will question the basis for the increase, the authority of the agencies who approved the hike and the process by which the increase was approved. We hope to get a TRO soon,” Reyes said.

He added, “It is callous on the part of the government to announce the hike during the holidays and implement it during the Pope’s visit.”

Pope Francis will be visiting the country from Jan. 15 to 19 next year.

The groups will be assisted by the National Union of People’s Lawyers.

Bayan also called on train commuters to join the mass actions to oppose the impending fare increase.

“We call on commuters to support this initiative by joining various protest actions leading up to Jan. 5 and beyond. Let the world know that the Filipino people are resisting unjust impositions,” Bayan said.

Meanwhile, Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo yesterday sought a middle ground on the controversial fare adjustments of the train commuter systems, saying that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) should consider gradual and staggered fare hikes instead of the one-time imposition.

DOTC announced last week that it would implement an increased base fare of P11 for both the LRT and MRT, starting Jan. 4, with an additional P1.00 charge for every kilometer.

Castelo, chair of the House committee on Metro Manila development, urged the government to immediately look for other options, such as tapping private entities to take over the operation of MRT after the Senate quashed the DOTC’s P54-billion buyout proposal.

He noted that the loss of P2 billion in annual subsidies and its deployment in social services was being cited by Transportation Secretary Emilio Abaya as the primary reason for the fare adjustment of the three train systems.

Castelo, however, argued that the fare hikes should be pursued gradually to avoid any adverse impact on train commuters.

The proposed fare hikes could be spread over two to three years, he said, stressing that a sudden fare hike would punish simple wage earners who depend on the three train systems for their daily transport.

“If at the moment, the most pragmatic recourse is to resort to fare hikes, then it should be carried out on a staggered basis so as not to burden too much the riding public,” Castelo said.

Castelo made the statement even as the announced fare adjustments would jack up the fares of LRT-1 from Baclaran to Roosevelt stations and vice versa to P29 for a one-way trip from P12 and P15 at present; LRT-2 from Santolan to Recto stations and vice versa to P24 from about P20; and the MRT-3 from North Avenue to Taft Avenue stations and vice versa to P28 from P10 and P15 at present. – Paolo Romero