Gov’t defers bus, jeepney fare hikes for a few days
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By DAVID CAGAHASTIAN

President Arroyo has deferred for a few days the implementation of the
new provisional jeepney and bus fare increases from P7.50 to R8
pending consultations with her Cabinet on the mechanics of such fare
increase.

Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said Mrs. Arroyo is
also pushing for a R2 fuel subsidy for drivers of public utility
vehicles (PUVs) to augment the R1 discount on diesel earlier
negotiated by the government with oil companies.

Fajardo said the deferment of the R0.50 increase in jeepney fares
would be only for a few days and that the increase would eventually be
imposed despite opposition from commuters.

Transport groups earlier petitioned for a fare increase amid record
prices of gasoline which have increased by an average of R3 per liter
in the past three weeks.

Fajardo said the government is trying to balance the interests of all
sectors amid the rising prices of imported food and oil.

She said the R20 increase in the minimum wage that was granted by the
regional wage board in Metro Manila last week would be enough to cover
the increase in jeepney fares, although the wage hike was ostensibly
to cover for record high prices of rice.

Even the moderate workers’ group, the Trade Union Congress of the
Philippines (TUCP), has demanded an R80 across- the-board increase on
the base pay of workers in Metro Manila. Militant labor groups said
even that proposal was not enough to cover the increase in the cost of
living in the city.

Fajardo said aside from the fare increase and the R2 subsidy on diesel
for drivers of PUVs, the government will issue drivers family access
cards to enable them to buy low-cost rice sold by the National Food
Authority at R18.25 per kilo.

LFS scores fare increase, launches ‘sakay-talakay’ drive

The League of Filipino Students (LFS) expressed their dismay over the
government approval of the R.50 fare hike last Sunday, saying that
while they understand the plight of the jeepney drivers, the hike
“unjustly passes on to consumers the consequences of government
tolerance of the thievery of the big oil companies.”

“Why should the students and the general public be the ones to
suffer?” asked Vencer Crisostomo, LFS national chairperson.

“The reason why the oil prices are ridiculously high is the
government’s deregulated policy which allows the overpricing of the
big oil companies. The government should scrap the oil deregulation
law immediately and should stop the oil price hikes,” he said.

The LFS said the fare increase will greatly affect the students and
could become one of the reasons for some not to enroll this schoolyear
or to drop out of school.

“Imagine, if you have five children going to school, you will now need
P80 daily just for transportation,” he explained.

Crisostomo called on leaders of jeepney associations to fight not only
for the drivers’ immediate economic relief but to aim also for
long-term solutions that will address the roots of the problem. “We
support and are one with Piston (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper
at Opereytor Nationwide) because the group clearly articulates the
roots of the oil problem and is calling for the scrapping of the
deregulation policy. We call on other jeepney associations not be an
instrument of government deceit and coverup by endlessly calling for
fare hikes without identifying and fighting the real culprits: the
Arroyo government in connivance with the oil cartels,” he said.

The LFS said they will launch “sakay-talakay” campaigns and will
update and reproduce a primer they released a few months ago tackling
the rising oil prices and the government’s flawed policy. “Instead of
quarrels over ‘sukli,’ we should be discussing the real roots of the
rising prices,” said Crisostomo.