MANILA — A petition from commuters’ group may possibly delay the implementation of jeepney and bus fare hikes, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday.
“There is a possibility,” LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III said during the Palace economic press briefing.
Delgra said the LTFRB is set to deliberate on Thursday the appeal to suspend another PHP1 fare hike for jeepneys and buses.
He said the Board is hoping to resolve the motion for reconsideration (MR) within the 15-day period given to the public to make an appeal, which started on October 18.
“That will really depend on…because actually I have a copy of the MR. It’s one page. We’ll still have to discuss this and resolve the same. I don’t supposed we will be able to tackle it at length,” Delgra said.
Delgra, meanwhile, refused to answer if the Board will grant the commuters’ group petition.
He said transport groups have started asking for fare increase in October last year.
Last Oct. 17, the LTFRB made permanent the provisional fare increase of PHP1 granted on July 6, 2018 and an additional PHP1, increasing the minimum jeepney fare from PHP8 to PHP10 for the first four kilometers beginning November 3.
Delgra said it took the Board a while to decide on the transport groups’ fare hike petition because it needs to consult with other government agencies, particularly the National Economic and Development Authority.
Delgra said the LTFRB will consider a fare adjustment if the prices of crude in the world market will go back to normal.
“We have to look at it from whatever prevailing circumstances there maybe that we need to consider to address the issue of fares adjustment,” he said.
Oil prices in the world market surged to USD80 per barrel, prompting the economic managers of President Rodrigo Duterte to recommend the suspension of the second round oil excise tax hike in 2019.
Department of Finance Assistant Secretary Tony Lambino said the suspension would lead to the possible reduction of Pantawid Pasada Program’s subsidy from PHP20,000 to PHP10,000 next year.
The LTFRB’s fuel subsidy for jeepney drivers started last August, giving the recipients PHP5,000 each for the remaining six months of the year.
“The increase of Pangtawid Pasada (subsidy) would have been up to around PHP20,000 initial if the excise tax increase will push through,” Lambino said.
“But since the excise tax will not increase staring January 1, the computation would be to instead of quadrupling the Pantawid Pasada because PHP5,000 this second half of the year, it will only double. That’s if fuel excise for whole of 2019 be suspended,” he said.
Lambino said the Development Budget Coordination Committee is still looking for sources of PHP27 billion, which will be lost if the fuel excise tax increase will be suspended next year.
Delgra said 41.14 percent or a total of 57,227 Pantawid Pasada cards have been distributed as of October 23. (Jelly Musico/PNA)
