Senate to ask DOTC: Open books
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday asked the Department of Transportation and Communications to open its books to justify the fare increase of Metro Rail Transit (inset) and Light Rail Transit. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines–Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday asked the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to open its books to justify the fare increase of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT).
Cayetano called the MRT-LRT fare increase “unfair,” pointing out that the DOTC had been allotted billions of pesos in subsidies in the P2.606-trillion 2015 national budget.
“Let’s call a hearing immediately, so we can face officials of the DOF (Department of Finance), DOTC, LRT, MRT. They should open their books or financial statements,” he told reporters in a briefing.
If the officials could prove that the increase is necessary, then they could set the rate of increase, the majority leader said.
“If it’s proven that this is not needed, or this can be subsidized by the government, I think they will have no choice but follow the ‘boss,’” Cayetano said, referring to the thousands of commuters protesting it.
And contrary to government claims that this was a “bitter pill” that had to be swallowed, it’s an “easy way out for the government to make another P2 billion at the expense of man and woman in the street making minimum wage,” he said.
Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero have vowed to confront Transportation Secretary Joseph E. A. Abaya and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad over the “treacherous” imposition of the fare increase during the holidays.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco and United Filipino Consumers and Commuters Inc. had petitioned the Supreme Court to halt the enforcement of the fare increase at MRT Line 3 and LRT Lines 1 and 2.
In a statement Wednesday, the office of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said the petitions filed against the fare increases had been raffled off to a justice for hearings. The magistrate who will handle the case was not identified.
Cayetano believed that President Aquino had been “misled” on the facts surrounding the MRT and LRT fare increase.
“The President can’t go over all the details. Whatever the LRT submits to the DOTC, the DOTC submits to the President. Have they submitted, for example, the different matrices, different options that they have around the world?”
As part of its oversight powers, the Senate would review the fare increase, the senator said.
“The fare increase should be stopped. Otherwise, the Supreme Court should issue a TRO (temporary restraining order),” he said. “If in one hearing we find out that the increase is not justified, the government has no choice but to stop it.”
“I’m confident that when the numbers come out, government’s arguments for the increase will be found to be empty,” he added.
Cayetano said he could not find logic in the officials’ claims that the previous administration lacked the political will to enforce the increase when the Aquino administration also failed to enforce it in the last three years.
“So, they also lacked political will for three years. I can’t find logic in their arguments,” he said.
Cayetano also drew a contrast between the P64.7-billion allocation for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) that benefits poor households, and the fare increase.
“In the CCT, you’re giving money so schoolchildren could go to school. Here, you’re doubling the fare of the students, and in effect, lessening the purchasing power of their parents,” he said.
“Or is it logical to spend P64 billion so kids won’t drop out of school, and let the children of the income earners to drop out because of the high fare increase?” he added.
Amid complaints over the fare increases, Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that President Aquino had demanded a “specific timeline” on when commuters would actually feel improved conditions in the elevated trains.
During meetings with DOTC officials, Aquino rejected “general” time frames, such as “middle of this year or middle of next year.”
“The President required DOTC to give specific timelines on each rehab project that they’re going to introduce. So those things are being firmed up by the DOTC,” he added.–With reports from Christian V. Esguerra and Tarra Quismundo
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