Business sector backs petition to reduce fare

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry is supporting the petition filed by the Consumers Rights and Economic Welfare (CREW) seeking to reduce the minimum public utility jeepney fare by P1.50 from the current P7.50 to P6.

CCCI president Prudencio Gesta said that they are in favor of the petition considering that the oil price has gone down from as high as $110.55 on March 1 to $84.74 as of July 2.

He said that the P1.50 fare rollback is reasonable because of the 23 percent oil price reduction.

“The figures would tell us that it's just fair that the fare should be adjusted now,” he told The FREEMAN.

Meanwhile, the National Youth Commission supported the move to implement a permanent fare discount for students.

At present, students can only avail of the fare discount during weekdays based on the memorandum from the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

LTFRB's Memorandum Circular No. 2011-04 stated: “The PUV operator shall grant fare discounts to Students during school days and shall cover only those currently enrolled, in Preschool, Elementary, Secondary and Collegiate schools including academic, Vocational and Technical schools duly recognized by the Government, EXCEPT: those of dancing and driving schools, short term courses of seminar type, and post graduate studies (those taking up medicine, law, masteral, doctoral degrees and the like).”

Such amendment was already proposed by the LTFRB but was strongly opposed by transport groups.

  “Ang estudyante ay estudyante. May pasok man o wala ay bahagi sila ng bulnerableng sektor ng ating lipunan. The proposed non-school days grant of a fare discount privilege to bonafide students from transport utilities intend to lessen and minimize the impact of the current economic and financial difficulties,” NYC Commissioner-at-Large and Education Committee Head Gio Tingson said.  (FREEMAN)