'We just asked for a peso': Transport groups slam fare hike suspension

MANILA, Philippines — Transport groups slammed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to suspend the approved fare hike for various land vehicles, saying they had only asked for a P1 increase—a request made even more urgent by the ongoing fuel crisis.

After fuel prices soared due to tensions in the Middle East, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board approved a fare hike for jeepneys, buses and Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS).

A day before the implementation, however, Marcos suspended the fare hike, citing commuter welfare.

PISTON National President Mody Floranda criticized the government for the suspension.

“'Yung piso na hinihingi ng ating mga driver, hindi pa para sa usapin na para gumanda ang kanilang buhay, kung hindi para maibsan 'yung patuloy na pagliit ng kita, binawi,” Floranda said on OneNews.

(The piso that the drivers are asking for, not even to make our lives better, just to ease the loss of earnings, was taken back.)

Floranda questioned the government’s priorities, noting that while big oil players reap huge profits, small-time transportation firms get little.

In the same interview, Manibela Chair Mar Valbuena also slammed the suspension, saying the jeepney sector’s petition for a fare increase was based on fuel prices before the Middle East conflict.

Petrol products were still P55 to P58 per liter when they made the petition. Now, fuel costs have doubled.

With fuel so expensive, drivers could be charging as high as P20 for the base fare, Valbuena said. However, a P2 to P5 increase would also have sufficed, he added.

Valbuena estimated that a full tank for a jeep would cost around P3,000.