JEEPNEY 50¢ HIKE APPROVED P8.50 FARE
MANILA, MARCH 22, 2012 (MANILA TIMES) Written by : Jaime R.
Pilapil, Reporter - OIL prices have gone up several times, and starting today,
commuters will pay 50 centavos more when they ride on jeepneys, but Malacañang
is not convinced that these are enough reasons to increase the salary of
ordinary workers.
A Palace official on Tuesday said that President Benigno Aquino 3rd has
rejected the proposed P125 across-the-board legislated wage hike, saying that it
is too high.
Palace Deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said that the proposed wage increase is
not practical and would only cause inflation.
"It is not practicable," Valte said. "Ang gusto po natin is a wage increase
that would pass 'yung considerations for inflation. Mukhang masyado pong mataas
'yung P125 [We want a wage increase that will pass considerations for inflation.
P125 seems too high]," she told a press briefing.
She said that after making some calculations, President Aquino turned down
the proposed wage increase.
According to her, the President concluded that implementing a P125 daily wage
hike would be disastrous to employers and workers.
Valte explained that not all employers could absorb the increased cost and
may be forced to retrench.
"Multiply P125 with the number of work days that is about P42,250 per
employee. Multiply that with the 38 million workers, which means about P2
trillion. Of course, the wages of those in higher positions should be adjusted,"
she said.
She added that only a few companies can afford to increase the salaries of
their employees. However, Valte said that the Palace is leaving it up to the
regional wage boards to determine the right amount of wage increase.
Rep. Emil Ong of Northern Samar, head of the House committee on labor, has
earlier given assurances that the panel will approve the P125 across-the-board
wage hike bill as a gift to workers in May.
Ong said that members of his committee agreed to support the measure to give
economic relief to workers who have to contend with almost weekly oil price
increases.
However, the lawmaker said the bill may not be passed in the plenary.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) last week filed a petition
seeking a P90 hike in the daily basic pay of workers in Metro Manila. If
approved, the minimum wage of Metro workers would go up to P516 per day.
TUCP President Democrito Mendoza vowed that his group will push for a wage
hike since the recent fare and oil price increase had again eroded the
purchasing power of the peso.
LTFRB okays 50- centavo fare hike Published :
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 00:00 Article Views : 122 Written by : Jing
Villamente, Reporter
STARTING today, the regular fare in public utility jeepneys
nationwide will be P8.50, except in Region 1 and 12, the Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Tuesday.
LTFRB Board Member Manuel Iway said that the 50-centavo provisionary fare
increase was approved by members of the board yesterday.
He said that there was no need for a hearing because it was a provisionary
fare hike.
Iway explained that Region 1 is not covered by the order because jeepney
fares in the region has already been P8.50. Region 12 was also not included
because there was no petition filed for a fare increase.
The official clarified that the fare hike is only for passenger jeepneys.
Efren de Luna, national president of the Alliance of Concerned Transport
Organizations (ACTO), said that his group was happy with the LTFRB decision.
However, de Luna said that his group will pursue its petition for a separate
P1.50 fare hike, which has been pending with the LTFRB.
Higher prices Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)
warned that the fare increase would trigger increases in the price of basic
goods. The group reiterated its call for a P90 wage increase.
TUCP President Democrito Mendoza in a statement said that the new round of
fare increase will erode the purchasing power of the peso predicted since
December 2011 to be at 42 percent.
He said that the new fare increase justifies an across-the-board P90 increase
in the daily basic pay of Metro Manila workers.
"We call on the wage board to expedite the consultations and public hearings
procedures as soon as possible and deliberate on the petition as soon as
possible," Mendoza said.
No MRT hike Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel
"Mar" Roxas 2nd on Tuesday said that for now, fare rates at the Metro Trail
Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) will remain the same.
According to Roxas, the government can still subsidize the operational
expenses of the MRT and LRT.
"The budget is not inexhaustible. The money is not inexhaustible, but the
government is trying to defer the fare hike of MRT and LRT," Roxas said.
He said that the government subsidy for the MRT and LRT for almost 10 years
was at P150 billion.
At present, the maximum fare at MRT 1, which runs from North Edsa in Quezon
City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City is P15. LRT 1, which links Baclaran in Pasay
City to Monumento in Caloocan City, collects P20.
To improve rail services, plans are in the pipeline to purchase new trains.
The MRT and LRT would need about P60 million to buy a brand new train.
With report from Rosalie C. Periabras
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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