Lawmakers outside Metro Manila back LRT, MRT fare hike

MANILA, Philippines–Lawmakers representing regional blocs outside Metro Manila have thrown their support behind the government’s plan to raise the fares of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and 2, and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 despite strong opposition from passengers mostly based in the capital.

A joint statement issued Monday by House members from Central and Northern Luzon, Bicol, Southern Tagalog, the Visayas and Mindanao noted that the fare adjustment, though unpopular, would ensure the sustainable, reliable and safe operation of the railway lines in the long term.

It would also free up at least P2 billion in savings that could be spent for priority development programs in nonrail sectors for the benefit of the poor and marginalized, they said.

The statement was signed by Mindanao bloc head Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Centrist Democratic Party, Cagayan de Oro City); Central Luzon bloc head Rep. Oscar Rodriguez of Pampanga; Ilocano bloc leaders Representatives Rodolfo Fariñas (Nacionalista Party, Ilocos Norte) and Eric Singson (Liberal Party, Ilocos Sur); Bicol bloc head Rep. Cesar Sarmiento of Catanduanes; Southern Tagalog bloc head Rep. Joaquin Chipeco Jr. of Laguna; and Rep. Ben P. Evardone (Liberal Party, Eastern Samar) of the Visayas bloc.

The lawmakers praised the Aquino administration for its “political will” in implementing a widely opposed fare policy, which past administrations had refused to implement.

Shortly after the fare increase was announced on Dec. 20, the Bayan Muna party-list group threatened to file a case in the Supreme Court to stop the new rates from taking effect on Jan. 4.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya earlier maintained that the government had been losing P12 billion in subsidies every year to run the three train lines which serve about 1.5 million riders, most of whom are Metro Manila residents.

“I support the fare increase to sustain the proper maintenance of the rail systems, to lessen the subsidy from the national government and to reallocate savings from the subsidy to social projects in Mindanao,” Rodriguez said.

For Evardone, the P2-billion savings could be used for the rehabilitation of communities devastated by typhoons, including his hometown in Eastern Visayas.

Starting Jan. 4, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) will implement the so-called “11 + 1” formula wherein the base fare is pegged at P11 plus P1 per succeeding kilometer. The new rates will jack up the fare on LRT 1 from P20 to P30 for the full run from Roosevelt to Baclaran stations; on LRT 2, from P15 to P25 for the full run from Recto to Santolan; and on MRT 3, from P15 to P28 for the full run from North Avenue to Taft.

The lawmakers noted that the adjustment was the first to be made after more than a decade, with the last fare increase approved in 2003 on LRT 1, from P12 to P15.

Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas said the government could not afford to let the train operations suffer more losses, noting that LRT 1 and 2 lost P3.656 billion in 2013 while the MRT lost P7.255 billion the same year.

This meant that the government had been shouldering 53 percent of the fare of each LRT 1 and 2 passenger and as much as 77 percent of the fare of an MRT rider.

Evardone said the new fare formula being adopted by the DOTC complied with the “users pay policy” spelled out in the Philippine Development Plan for 2011 to 2016.

“This principle justifies the adjustment on the premise that train passengers need to shoulder more of the cost of their trips,” Evardone said. “(It) will enable these public transport systems to generate enough funds for improvements on LRT 1 and 2 and MRT, as well as for development projects and relief operations in other places, such as those in the Visayas and Mindanao.”