P2.50 fare hike petition awaits LTFRB approval

CEBU, Philippines — Basak-Lapu-Lapu City Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (Balacjoda) is now awaiting approval of its proposed P2.50 provisional fare hike petition.

Once approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-7, the minimum fare for jeepneys in Central Visayas will be P9.

The region’s current minimum fare is P6.50. Students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities enjoy a 20 percent fare discount.

In a public hearing on the said petition yesterday, no one opposed to the proposal.

The hearing was attended by the petitioners and several jeepney operators.

Lawyer Edwin Antepuesto, LTFRB-7 legal and hearing officer, required petitioners to submit pertinent documents until today as supporting evidence to the proposed fare increase.

Antepuesto did not promise to resolve the matter within the next few days, but considered the petition as an "extreme urgency."

LTFRB-7 Regional Director Eduardo Montealto will make a recommendation on the said petition and will forward it to their head office for LTFRB board members to decide on the matter.

"Nanghinaot mi nga madali ang pag-grant sa among petisyon aron pud kahatagan og dugang nga income ang among mga jeepney drivers nga pwerte na gyud nakapait sa ilang kahimtang," said Romeo Armamento, a jeepney operator and one of Balacjoda board of directors.

Balacjoda has cited rising prices of fuel, rising cost of spare parts, and rising inflation as among the reasons why they asked for a provisional fare increase.

WAGE HIKE

Meanwhile, the Cebu Living Wage Coalition will seek another round of wage increase amid the inflation rate.

Coalition spokesperson Metudio Belarmino the group will seek an increase of over P100 per day in daily take-home pay across-the-board.

The wage hike petition will be filed within the week despite the one-year prohibition in the granting of successive salary hike for minimum wage earners.

The rule bars the wage board to entertain any wage petition within one year from the date of implementation of the latest wage increase unless there is a supervening condition.

Supervening conditions cover increases in the price of fuel and basic commodities, cost of living, and inflation rate, among others.

To recall, Wage Order number 21 took effect on August 3, 2018 implementing a P10 to P52 daily wage increase for the minimum wage earners in the private sector in Central Visayas.

"Dili na mi magpaabot sa one year before mi mo-file og wagehike petition. Within the week, mo-file na mi kay klaro na man kaayo nga naa’y mga supervening conditions," said Belarmino.

The country's biggest labor organization, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), is also planning to seek higher wages for the region.

ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said they still have to wait until the end of the month with regard to the inflation rate for the month of September.

He said it is important to know the September's inflation rate as this will be among the bases of the wage hike. (FREEMAN)