The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced on Friday, March 18, that it had issued a resolution denying the petition of transport groups to increase the provincial fare by P1 for the first four kilometers.
According to LTFRB, it issued the resolution for transport groups 1-UTAK, Pasang Masda, Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), and Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP).
The agency justified its decision by saying that it had to “balance the rights of the riding public who are mostly dependent on the public transport system vis-à-vis the right of the operators to financial returns.”
To alleviate the effects of the continuous oil price hikes, the government has set a fuel subsidy and service contracting programs in place. The former aims to aid public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators while the latter seeks to assist both drivers and commuters.
Earlier this week, the LTFRB has already started crediting fuel subsidies of P6,500 to PUVs and will continue distributing subsidies to 377,433 beneficiaries within the month.
Currently, around P700 million in fuel assistance have been disbursed to PUVs amid the series of oil price hike. On the other hand, the service contracting program will commence next week after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released P7 billion for its funding.
For the transport groups’ main case, the agency will hear on March 22 the petitions of 1-Utak, PASANG MASDA, ALTODAP, and ACTO for a P5 increase on the minimum fare and LTOP’s petition for a P6 increase.