Government asks: Don’t seek fare hike

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) appealed to public transportation operators yesterday to refrain from seeking a fare increase.

Remedios Belleza, an LTFRB member, said the board cited the burden to the public in making the appeal.

"We understand why they want to seek the fare adjustment. We respect their right to do so," she said. "But we just hope they could still delay their plans to file the petition (for a fare increase)."

The appeal came after owners of Metro Manila buses and jeepneys demanded a 50-centavo increase in the minimum fare every time oil firms increase their pump prices.

On Wednesday, the LTFRB met with representatives of several transportation companies, including Pasang Masda, Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association and Provincial Bus Association of the Philippines.

Since March, gasoline prices have risen by P1.75 per liter, pushing the operating cost P60 higher everyday, bus and jeepney operators said. However, the last time the government adjusted the minimum fare was in October 2001, when the rate was increased by 50 centavos.

During the meeting, bus operators agreed to not file the petition for fare adjustment at this time, Belleza said.

"They decided that, when the increase in fuel prices reaches P2 per liter, they will meet again to discuss the possibility of filing the petition," she added.

Meanwhile, Transportation and Communications Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez urged government agencies to coordinate the campaign against ozone-depleting gas emissions.

The call came as many civic groups pledged their support for the drive against smoke-belching vehicles through the DOTC hotline.

"In our common drive to combat all forms of environmentally unfriendly gas emissions, whether from industrial plants or from motor vehicles, all government agencies must implement well-coordinated campaigns to avoid duplicating meager government resources," Alvarez said.

For example, the Metro Manila Development Authority has launched an anti-smoke belchers campaign in coordination with the DOTC. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), meanwhile, has allocated P8.7 billion in budget for the inspection of motor vehicles, aimed at reducing smoke emission.

Among the equipment to be purchased are opacimeters, the device used to measure the quantity of poisonous gas emission by vehicles, to support the inspection program. This measure will help the agency determine if vehicles are complying with international gas emission standards.

Alvarez said the Department of Energy is implementing a recommendation of the first Policy Initiative in Transport meeting, known as 1st Point, which seeks to replace gas emitting motor vehicle engines with newer, more environmentally friendly ones.

But government agencies must coordinate their efforts with civic groups and public transportation operators in order to be successful, Alvarez said.

On the other hand, Environment Secretary Heherson Alvarez pushed yesterday for the Senate’s ratification of an international treaty that would ban the use of a dozen hazardous chemicals, including pesticides utilized in plantations, in the country.

Alvarez made the "urgent call" during the International Forum for POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) Ratification held yesterday in Makati City.

The POPs Treaty is also known as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which Alvarez signed on behalf of the Philippines in Stockholm, Sweden in May last year.

Alvarez hopes the Senate will ratify the treaty in time for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa this September.

Alvarez said the pesticides are commonly used in banana, corn and grain plantation systems.

"You can see how easily farmers, for example, are exposed to the dangers of these chemicals," he explained. — Sheila Crisostomo, Nikko Dizon