EXPERTS from at least three government agencies, including the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev), are expected in the next hearing on fare increase petitions, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Tuesday.
LTFRB Chairman Vigor Mendoza II said representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Department of Energy (DOE) were also invited to get their views on the petitions filed by several operators’ and drivers’ groups.
“We all heard the concerns and arguments raised by the transport groups on their fare hike petitions. They are all valid and legitimate, and our task now is to validate the data they presented in terms of operational costs vis-à-vis their daily income and that of the drivers,” Mendoza said.
“But we also need to hear what DEPDev and other concerned agencies have to say because we are all aware that any fare adjustment of any amount will affect the economy and the public’s purchasing power,” he added.
For DEPDev, the LTFRB chief said they want to hear the effects of any proposed amount based on the transport groups’ petitions, and DOLE is expected to discuss what should be accorded to the workers, in this case, the drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs).
The DOE, the LTFRB said, will discuss matters regarding oil price hikes and their effects on motorists. ARLIE CALALO
Mendoza said they need to consider the wisdom and expertise of the concerned agencies when crafting a solution acceptable to the PUV sector and the commuting public.
“The necessity to assist the PUV sector is already there because of the series of oil price hikes in the past weeks. The question, however, is what would be the ideal fare adjustment amount that would have minimal inflationary effects but be acceptable to everybody,” he said.
“This is the part where the insights of experts from DEPDev and other concerned agencies will play a key role,” he stressed.
On Monday, Aug. 3, Mendoza led the fare hike hearing attended by various transport groups, particularly the representatives of seven petitioners for a fare increase.
