Taxi groups start 5-day protest vs cab fare cut in Panay

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – “The net reduction in cab fares could be a prelude to the death of the taxi industry,” declared the United Taxi Drivers of Panay (UTDP) and the Association of Taxi Operators in Panay (ATOP) in a press conference on Monday at a hotel in this city.

The two groups, together with some individual fleet operators in Iloilo, issued the declaration during the start of their five-day “silent protest” starting Monday with the kick-off of the Pagluluksang Bayan from the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan to downtown Iloilo City.

Today, the groups are staging the Busina Protesta with a simultaneous countdown of their protest in various areas in the city from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, dubbed as Black Wednesday, the protesting groups will have a Mass at 7 a.m. at the Jaro Metropolita Cathedral, followed by a National Day of Protest march from the Jaro Plaza to the office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board where they will hold a picket and submit to the agency their position paper and manifesto.

On Thursday, the protesters will distribute protest flyers to the public until Friday afternoon, followed by a candle-lighting ceremony in various areas of the city, and a black placard display at the Jaro Plaza and Plazoleta Gay.

Rodrigo Baculado, UTDP president, said the LTFRB’s order of a P30 flag-down rate and adjusting the distance and time for the succeeding rates could mean a P900 average daily loss to the drivers’ earnings.

The LTFRB consolidated order extended the distance from 300 meters to 500 meters but shortened the waiting time, or the amount of time a cab spends idling while in standstill traffic, from 120 seconds to 90 seconds. For both conditions, the rate is still at P3.50.

Baculado said that, if a taxi driver has around 35 to 45 total passengers in a day, that would translate to P350 to P450 cut in their earnings. And for every kilometer they would navigate with a passenger, he estimated that they would lost P5 or around P500 in a day.

“This decision would kill our family. Remember, we have to feed a family of five members and also send our children to school,” Baculado said.

Perfecto Yap, ATOP president, said the decision would also indirectly kill the taxi industry. “We would expect a shortage in the boundary fee of our drivers because their earnings would not compensate. That would also a blow on our (operators) part,” he added.

In a statement of solidarity addressed to President Benigno Simeon Aquino, UTDP and ATOP said: “With the LTFRB’s decision to reduce the taxi flag down rate by as much as P10 (including the unreasonable and unjust rate adjustments and computations on the succeeding kilometers), the entire taxi industry will ultimately be decimated as taxi drivers are going to lose an average of P900 from their daily income, while the taxi operators will bear the brunt of an unstable taxi operations.”

They also pointed out that the decision of LTFRB, led by its chairman Winston Ginez, does not only manifest an act of oppression and glaring abuse of authority, but also “shows leadership absurdity and gross insensitivity to the real plight and conditions of the transport sector, more particularly the taxi industry.”

The UTDP has now around 2,000 members from three big taxi drivers’ organizations: the North-South Baluarte Taxi Drivers Association, the Cabatuan Airport Taxi Drivers Association, and the DUMPER Philippines Taxi Drivers Association–Iloilo Chapter.

The daily boundary fee is between P950 and P1,100, said UTDP and ATOP as they slammed the latest LTFRB order saying it is oppressive. Baculado said LTFRB would want them to live 12 years backwards.

In 2004, the taxi flag down was at P30, but at that time, gasoline price was at P26 per liter. In December 2010, LTFRB approved the P40 flag down rate.

“And may I point out that the cost of living now is far different from that of 2004,” Baculado said citing the increase in prices on food and medicines, power and water rates, and tuition and school fees, including the cost of car repair and maintenance.

The UTDP and ATOP further demanded for Ginez’ resignation for alleged oppression and abuses. They vowed to uphold, defend and protect the survival of the taxi industry. (FREEMAN)