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Commuters told: Save on text messages to off set MRT, LRT fare hikes


The Department of Transportation and Communications hinted Tuesday at an P8 fare hike for the Light and Metro Rail Transit systems, to be implemented in the first quarter of 2011, even as it advised commuters to save on text messages to cope with the adjusted rates. DOTC spokesman Undersecretary Dante Velasco advised commuters taking the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) and Metro rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) to make up for the fare adjustment by saving on "unnecessary" text messages. "Kung ang MRT fare ay babagsak lamang sa P20 - P22 (If the MRT fare reaches P20 to 22) it could mean a fare hike of about P8. The additional amount can be easily offset by saving on text messages such as 'I love you,' 'I miss you' or 'Let's see each other'," Velasco said in Filipino in an interview on dwIZ. He reiterated DOTC Secretary Jose de Jesus' earlier pronouncement that the MRT fare hike may not take place in January, but may still occur in the first quarter. At present, commuters using the MRT pay between P12 to P15. The MRT connects North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue Extension in Pasay City. The LRT-1 connects Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City to Baclaran in southern Metro Manila, while LRT-2 connects Marikina City to Manila. Velasco said that in the case of the MRT-3, the government subsidizes up to P48 for each passenger, because the real cost of a P15 trip is P63. He said that with the "savings," the government can raise P2 billion to improve the facilities of the LRT and MRT. On the other hand, Velasco took a dig at the past administration for not acting on easing the subsidy. "Hindi hinaharap ito ng past administration, palaging pino-postpone. Ngayon nakiusap tayo, wala tayong sinisisi, nakikiusap na lang tayo sa ating kababayan na magtulungan tayo (The past administration skirted the problem by not acting on it. Now we are meeting it head-on, and not making any excuses. We are asking the public for cooperation)," he said. — LBG/KBK, GMANews.TV

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