Fejodap: No fare increase despite oil price hike

Despite a fresh round of fuel price hikes, jeep operators on Tuesday reassured commuters that there will be no fare hike, at least for now. But the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Fejodap) reminded authorities of the group’s pending petition to lift the 50-centavo provisional rollback on fare rates. "Walang hirit na dagdag pasahe (We will not petition for a fare hike yet)," Fejodap president Zenaida Maranan said in an interview on dzXL radio. Effective 6 a.m. Tuesday, oil firms including Chevron, Petron, Phoenix Petroleum, Total and Seaoil raised prices of fuel products by P1 to P1.25 per liter. But Maranan reminded the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) that Fejodap already filed a petition with it to undo a 50-centavo rollback. She said Fejodap members had "voluntarily" given up 50 centavos from their P7.50 fare to bring minimum fares down to P7. "Nag-file kami sa LTFRB para sa pagbabalik, hindi pagtataas, sa dating pasaheng 50 sentimos na kinaltas (We asked the LTFRB not to raise fares, but to restore the 50 centavos)," she said. "Hinihintay namin ang tugon ng LTFRB. Wala kaming gagawin kundi hintayin ang tugon ng LTFRB (We are still waiting for the LTFRB to act on our petition. And we will not do anything else while waiting for the LTFRB's response)," she added. Last December, LTFRB Chairman Alberto Suansing said any petition for fare adjustment will be studied thoroughly. [See: No automatic increase despite fare hike petition] “Bago magtaas ang pasahe, kailangan dinggin yan. Di automatic [na] pag hiningi nila aaprubahan natin (Before any fare hike can be effected, we will have to conduct hearings. A fare hike is not automatic)," he said in an interview on dzXL radio last December. In that interview, Suansing said the LTFRB will take at least one week to study a petition before scheduling hearings. - LBG/RSJ GMANews.TV