Grace Poe —Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe finds Grab Philippines’ planned commission rate hike outrageous.
The fee, in her view, was unfair, given the tough times delivery drivers and riders endure.
Poe, the Senate committee on public services head, urged on Wednesday concerned agencies to examine Grab’s plan: a 2-percent commission rate increase starting December 1.
“This is unconscionable in the midst of economic hardships that Filipinos face to get through every day. Every peso that drivers and riders earn comes from hard work poured [into bringing] passengers home or [delivering] parcels right at our doorsteps,” the senator said in a statement.
Rather than take away a heftier chunk of their earnings, Poe called for social protection and benefits.
“As vital frontliners in the service sector, riders and drivers have helped keep the local economy going. They, too, long for an easy ride,” she added.
Grab’s commission rate hike comes as the cost of living for Filipinos continues to rise.
The Philippines’ inflation rate accelerated nearly to a 14-year high at 7.7 percent in October, and is seen to further increase.
READ: Philippines inflation near 14-year high; more rate hikes seen
Several delivery riders and drivers of app-based ride-hailing and delivery services have earlier urged the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to regulate Grab’s commission increase amid soaring fuel prices.
READ: LTFRB urged to regulate commissions of a ride-hailing app