DOTr: P3 hike in minimum jeepney fare ‘fake news’
STATUS QUO Commuters can heave a sigh of relief after the transportation department’s reiteration that the minimum jeepney fare in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon is still P9. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has dismissed as “fake news” a report circulating on social media that it earlier approved a P3 increase in the minimum jeepney fare, bringing it to P12.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the DOTr clarified that the basic jeepney fare in Metro Manila and some regions was still P9.
“The petition filed by transport groups is still being studied by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). This will go through due process before it is approved,” it stressed.
Source of misinformation
The DOTr issued the clarification after Facebook page “PhilippiNews Trends” said in a post on Sunday that starting on Nov. 14, the minimum jeepney fare in Metro Manila and Central Luzon would go up by P3.
Article continues after this advertisementIt claimed that the LTFRB had already issued an order signed by its chair, Martin Delgra III, and board member, Ronaldo Corpus, granting the fare hike petitions filed by transport groups.
Article continues after this advertisementThe post, which was shared thousands of times and elicited mostly angry reactions, also included quotes from George San Mateo and Zenaida Maranan, leaders of transport groups Piston and Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines respectively, taken from newspapers.
In a post on Monday morning, PhilippiNews Trends apologized, saying the account of one of its page administrators was “hacked.”
Post deleted
As of Monday afternoon, the original post had been deleted, while the PhilippiNews Trend page was also taken down.
In January, several jeepney transport groups filed in the LTFRB an addendum to their original petition for a fare increase, citing rising costs due to the passage of the tax reform law.
From the original P2 hike they sought in September 2017, the groups asked for a P4 fare increase, thus bringing the then P8 minimum jeepney fare to P12.
The LTFRB, however, granted a provisional fare increase of only P1 in Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Central Luzon, through an order signed by Delgra and Corpus on July 4. This pegged the minimum jeepney fare at the current P9.
