MANILA, Philippines?Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño urged the Aquino administration to slow down on its plan to jack up the MRT and LRT fares to cut government losses from subsidies.

In a statement Friday, Casiño said the government should first look at other means on how to reduce its subsidies to the MRT and LRT riders before burdening the estimated 500,000 daily passengers with prohibitive fares.

?The public must be apprised of the full details of how the government subsidy to the MRT and LRT is used the way President Aquino exposed the abusive perks given to executives of the MWSS," said Casiño who noted that the management and board of the MRT and LRT could be also be getting fat salaries and bonuses.

Casiño expressed fears that the fare increase could be a prelude to the privatization of the city?s mass railways after the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) bought an 80 percent interest stake in Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC) for $750 billion last year. DBP and the Landbank were mandated under Executive Order 855 signed by former President Arroyo last January to sell their shares to the National Development Co. to facilitate its sale to a private group.

"There is something really fishy here. Is the pot being sweetened for a juicy public-private partnership deal?" asked Casiño.

"President Aquino owes it to the people to explore every possible way to keep fares down. This is not just about being popular but about government's duty to keep a very basic service?transportation?as cheap and accessible as possible," Casiño said.