LTFRB holds hearing on PUJ fare adjustment amid soaring fuel prices
By Jel Santos
At A Glance
- (MB FILE PHOTO)
Amid the skyrocketing prices of petroleum products, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday, Aug. 22, conducted a heading on fare adjustment for Public Utility Jeepney (PUJs) service nationwide.
In a statement, LTFRB Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III said they held the meeting in order to ensure PUJ drivers and operators nationwide that their pleas for fare adjustment does not fall on deaf ears.
“We are well aware and continue to hear their plight amid the continuing oil price hikes and their difficulty in earning enough for their families,” said the LTFRB chief.
But it noted that this will still be reviewed and validated by the Board, specifically by other economic agencies in government such as the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
“Every fare increase has an economic impact and that is what has to be studied carefully by other government agencies such as the NEDA in order to come up with a fare increase that is justifiable and will not create a huge economic burden,” Guadiz explained.
Earlier, several transportation organizations, including the Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas, Pagkakaisa ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide, Stop & Go Transport Coalition Incorporated, and The Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), sent a letter to the LTFRB addressed to Guadiz asking for a P2 fare increase for all PUJs nationwide.
In their petition to LTFRB chief, the groups cited the tremendous increase in the prices of vehicle parts, throttle body alignment or TBA, and petroleum products.