Citrasco withdraws P2.50 fare hike petition

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Integrated Transport Service Multi-purpose Cooperative (CITRASCO) will withdraw its petition for a P2.50 increase in jeepney fare.

The group’s formal withdrawal papers will be submitted to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7 on Thursday.

“I would like to manifest that CITRASCO will be withdrawing its petition with an appeal to LTFRB to strengthened its enforcement on anti-colorum and out-of-line vehicles,” said Ryan Benjamin Yu, CITRASCO’s chairman and managing director. 

Yu said CITRASCO arrived at the decision after the so-called “transport strike or protest” launched by some members of the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide – Cebu.

“At least 30 percent of the jeepney population was paralyzed but daghan sad ang nalipay nga mga driv ers nga tungod sa ilang (PISTON-Cebu) gihimo ang strike, nidako ang income sa mga ubang jeepney drivers,” he said.

He said the strike made him realize that those who participated in it were most likely drivers of colorum vehicles considering that they protested against the anti-colorum campaign of LTFRB-7 and the Land Transportation Office –7.

Yu said it is the right of other drivers group or association to file another fare hike petition, something that the National Confederation of Transportation Union – Cebu mulls of doing.

“Nasagmuyo gyud mi sa iyang statement. We are here to support the petition. Pero naunsa man nga iyaha mang gi-withdraw,” said NCTU’s Romeo Armamento, also an official of the Mandaue United Drivers Association.

Rudy Lacunza, chairman of ATOMIC, also expressed dismay over CITRASCO’s decision. He said an increase would help drivers greatly, especially those whose earnings have dropped due to unavoidable factors like deteriorating road conditions and opening of new routes.

 â€œNakalitan mi sa decision sa CITRASCO. Wa mi magdahom nga ilang i-withdraw ang maong petition,” Lacunza said.

Jose Tomongha, chairman of SENTRO, said jeepney drivers are also considered workers and with the increasing prices of basic commodities, jeepney fare has to be increased in order to increase the drivers’ take-home pay.

Tomongha suggested that LTFRB form a tripartite committee, which will be composed of the agency, a transport group, and a commuters group.

Armamento and Tomongha said that this is the first time in a public hearing for a fare hike for jeepneys that the petitioner withdrew its petition.

“Kay kung nakahibalo pa mi nga mu-withdraw ang CITRASCO, naka andam unta mi og motion for intervention. Sayang, we waited for more than three months para mag-public hearing unya i-withdraw lang diay ang petition,” said Metodio Belarmino, spokesperson of the Cebu Living Wage Coalition. 

Meanwhile, in its opposition to the fare hike petition, the Transparency and Accountability for Good Governance, Empowerment and Development, Inc. said a higher fare will be an injustice to the people.

“Instead of contributing to the practice of passing on the burden to the commuting public, we challenge the transport operators to join the public outcry to call upon the government to urgently address the continued overpricing and price manipulation of the oil cartels and pushing for the exemption from value added tax of oil and other petroleum products,” the opposition reads.

Commuters like students and senior citizens who attended the hearing yesterday were glad that the petition did not push through. — /JMO (FREEMAN)