“The petition-drive will prove to Malacanang that Pres. Aquino needs to heed the sentiments of the commuters and reject the MRT/LRT fare increase proposals,”

This was the statement Terry Ridon, national chairperson of the League of Filipino Students as student and youth groups launched their petition drive to oppose the MRT/LRT fare hikes at the very busy MRT Cubao Terminal Station, where most train riders embark and disembark.

“It is untrue that only commuters from Metro Manila benefit from the MRT/LRT, as the railways are even used by people whose homes are in nearby provinces but work in the Metro.”

He said the MRT has afforded students studying in UP Diliman to take the daily commute from their homes as far as Cavite and Laguna to the Diliman campus. He added that students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines living in Rizal had been regularly using the LRT II from Santolan to Pureza station, the nearest station to the PUP Sta. Mesa campus.

He also said that the DOTC is mistaking the nature of government subsidies when it continues to harp on the unfairness of government subsidies to the MRT and LRT.

“The DOTC is pitting the people against each other, as everyone, including those in the provinces is entitled to the use of our public railway systems, in the same manner as all of us have rights in the use of public hospitals and public schools.”

He described the DOTC’s logic as fit for ‘street sophistry’ or in the vernacular – pilosopong pang-kalye, instead of serious policy-making.

The LFS vowed to continue hold petition-signing drives in MRT and LRT stations this week and stage picket protests in DOTC, LRT and MRT offices next week.