MANILA --The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board yesterday deferred the granting of a provisional 50-centavo fare hike to transport sector pending results of its consultation with other government agencies.

LTFRB Board Member Manuel Iway said the board would still hold discussions and meeting with other government agencies to get their opinion and advice on the effect of any fare hike on the overall situation.

Iway said that any ruling on the 50-centavo provisional fare hike petition by various transport groups would only be released probably early next week, despite the conclusion of public hearings Friday.

Iway said the LTFRB would consult the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), among others, to shed light on the effect of a fare hike on the worker and commuter sectors.

LTFRB Chairman Jaime Jacob allayed fears that consultation with other government agencies would delay any decision for a fare hike.

Jacob said the consultation with the other government agencies would not take too long and the board would make a ruling soon.

If the LTFRB grant a 50-centavos fare hike to public utility jeepneys, passengers would be paying P8.50 for the first four kilometers from the current minimum fare of P8.

One of the petitioners, Roberto “Obet” Martin of the Pangkalahatang Sanggunian Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association (Pasang Masda), appealed to the riding public to understand their predicament, saying that with the continuous increase in pump prices of petroleum products, their livelihood is greatly affected.

“We appeal to the public’s sense of consideration, If ever the provisional fare increase is approved. This provisional fare hike is just temporary and we promise to lower down the fares as soon as oil prices go down,” he said.

Martin’s group, along with the other petitioners such as the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Liga ng Transportasyon at Opereytors sa Pilipinas, MTU-Transporter and the Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators welcomed the LTFRB’s postponement of the release of its decision.

But they still claimed that the approval of the P0.50 provisional fare increase was a long overdue reinstatement of the P8.50 minimum fare approved by the government in 2008.

Martin also stress the urgency of granting their prayer for a provisional fare increase while their formal petition for a P2 fare hike is being deliberated upon.

The militant group, Pinag-Isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide said it would ask the LTFRB to grant a P1 fare increase though the group has yet to formally file its request.

PISTON national president George San Mateo said that since the start of the year, diesel and gasoline prices went up eight times, or about P5.10 per liter increase in gasoline products and P3.15 for diesel.

If the present trend continue, San Mateo said it would breached the entire 2011 price increases which stood at P4.78 for gasoline and P6.39 for diesel.*PNA

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