Gov. Marañon to appeal for lower PUJ fare hike

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. deemed the P1-increase in jeepney fare, which took effect yesterday, as “too high” and that he would appeal to authorities to reduce it or implement it on a staggered basis.

With the P1-increase in minimum PUJ fare, approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), commuters in this city and the rest of the province will have to pay P8, while senior citizens and students will pay P6.

LTFRB board member Manuel Iway said jeepney operators could start collecting the new minimum fare of P8 today as long as they have received a copy of the LTFRB resolution that was signed Monday.

The LTFRB order said the minimum fare for passenger jeepneys in the Visayas and Mindanao would also increase by P1 from the current P6.50 to P7.50 for the first four kilometers, although the rate for every succeeding kilometer remains at P1.40.

Jessie Ortega, secretary general of the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (Undoc), however said the PUJ fare used to be P8.50 when the LTFRB approved the increase in July 2008.

When fuel prices sharply dropped in February 2009, drivers and operators voluntarily reduced the fare to only P7. “That’s why we only charge P7 for regular passengers and P5 for students,” he said.

Ortega said they will also inquire with the LTFRB if the PUJ operators will still have to pay for the matrix or fare rate increase of P520 per unit because, without the matrix, drivers could not impose the new fares starting today.

Ortega lauded the LTFRB for approving the fare hike, saying it was timely in the face of increases in petroleum products’ prices. “Oil companies have issued advisories that more increases are coming within February,” he said.

Major oil companies have not yet implemented the recently announced price rollback of P1 for gasoline and kerosene and P0.25 for diesel. “The small oil players have complied with this, but the big three companies have not,” he said.

The LTFRB Monday said it approved the fare hike to help PUJ operators and drivers cope with rising commodity prices.

LTFRB records showed there are 229,000 PUJs all over the country, and 49,612 of these are operating in Metro Manila.

The board has taken judicial notice of the operators’ argument that prices of goods are going up and that maintenance of their vehicles is already adversely affecting their livelihood.