Senators fan clamor vs MRT/LRT fare hike
Saying Metro Manila residents aren’t the only ones reaping the benefits of the capital’s train system, two Senators on Thursday called on the Aquino administration to delay plans to raise fares in the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit.
This was despite pronouncements made earlier this week by Transportation Secretary Jose Emilio Abaya that the fare hikes are likely to take effect next year. Also, his department’s 2013 budget already takes into account the lower subsidies that the government expects to pay after the increases are implemented.
Calling for a delay, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., chairman of the Senate committee on public services, said many passengers of these trains actually come from the provinces. Meanwhile, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who chairs the committee on public order, called on Abaya to consider all factors first before imposing the fare hike.
“It isn’t only one region that takes advantage of the mass rail transit like the MRT. Many of the regular passengers are ordinary workers and employees and small businessmen from various regions and who only make a living in Metro Manila to support their families in the provinces,” Revilla said.
“There are also the students who come to Metro Manila to study,” he added in a statement. “I am appealing to our national government to reconsider its decision to raise MRT fare. Next year is still not the time to again burden the public.”
Revilla said the impact of the projected P10 fare hike would actually translate to P20 a day for regular commuters who take the trains to and from their workplace. “Even a centavo is valuable to them. How much more, P20?” he said.
In a statement addressed to Abaya, Honasan said “it would be prudent to have comprehensive discussions and hearings on the proposed fare hike since we have to consider all factors.”
“For example, what is the bottom line? Who profited from the construction of the MRT and LRT, particularly considering the increase in property values? How much?” he added.
Honasan noted that the country has laws that allow the imposition of special taxes on owners of properties that benefit from government infrastructure.
“There are also reports of privatization of train operations. Again, who will benefit from this increase, the government or private interests? Do we privatize the profits and nationalize the losses again?” Honasan said.
Honasan said the Public Service Law applied by the Supreme Court imposes a 12-percent cap on profits from public utilities. “That should be our guide,” he stressed.
The fare hikes were originally approved in January 2011, but President Aquino ordered the implementation deferred as prices of other key commodities rose at the time.
Under the new fare system, commuters will pay an P11 “hop-on” fee plus an additional P1 for every succeeding kilometer.
Single-journey tickets, however, will be sold only at P15, P20, and P25 denominations for the MRT and the LRT line 2. An additional P30 denomination will be added for the longer LRT line 1.
This means commuters will soon have to pay P15—instead of the current P10—for the first three stations or about four kilometers; P20 for the next five to nine kilometers; and P25 for the remaining stations.
To travel from one end to the other, passengers will have to pay P25 for the MRT and LRT line 2, and P30 for the LRT line 1. The MRT runs from Taft Avenue to North Avenue along Edsa. The LRT Line 1 stretches from Baclaran to Roosevelt, along Rizal and Taft Avenues.
The LRT line 2 runs along Aurora Boulevard from Recto to Santolan.
By offering just three denominations for single-journey tickets, officials expect that LRT and MRT personnel will be able to give out change to passengers faster, ensuring faster queues.
For the two LRT lines, passengers holding stored-value tickets, which are sold at P100 each, could benefit from exact charging compared to those paying under the three-denomination system.
However, due to a less-sophisticated collection system, the MRT will still charge passengers with stored value cards at P15, P20, and P25 increments.
