The Supreme Court. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Will the Supreme Court stop the fare increases in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) for the benefit of 1.3 million daily commuters?
As of Tuesday, the Supreme Court is still studying the possibility of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the train fare hike, according to Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te.
“The petition filed by the militant groups on Monday will be reviewed and a recommendation will be made,” Te said in a chance interview with reporters at the 203rd birth anniversary celebration of Melchora “Tandang Sora” Aquino in Quezon City.
Bayang Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) led the petitioning groups on the grounds that no public consultation was conducted.
Te said a petition needed to be filed before the court could act on the LRT and MRT fare increases.
“The Supreme Court had to wait for a petition to be filed,” he added.
How long will the commuters wait for the TRO?
“Every case is different and it would depend on what’s written in the petition,” Te said.
“If it’s urgent then the Supreme Court may issue a TRO right away,” he said.
RELATED STORIES
Petitions vs LRT, MRT fare hike mounting
Palace: Possible TRO on fare hike won’t derail MRT upgrade