TAXIS JOIN CALL FOR FARE HIKE

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BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA
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ILOILO City – Taxis have joined the call of passenger jeepneys in this city for an increase in fares, citing the big-time oil price hike yesterday.

The Association of Taxi Operators in Panay (ATOP) is specifically calling for a P10-increase in the current P30 flagdown rate.

Effective 6 a.m. yesterday, the price of gasoline increased by P1.50 per liter, kerosene by P1.40 per liter, and diesel by P1.20 per liter.

“Indi lang ini one time nga nagsaka kundi series na gid ya,” said ATOP president Perfecto Yap, citing previous oil price increases.

ATOP actually already filed a petition for fare hike last month before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6, he said.

“May time nga may rollback pero almost always nagasaka gid ang (presyo) sang oil,” Yap told Panay News. “This is burdensome to our drivers. Pila na lang madala nila puli?”

ATOP joined a nationwide protest against the P10 cut in the P40 flagdown rate in March this year.

LTFRB ordered the implementation of the P30 flagdown rate beginning March 19.

According to taxi drivers and operators, LTFRB’s slashing of the flagdown rate to the 2004 level when a tire cost only between P600 to P800 was unacceptable.

“Now, a tire costs between P1,600 to P2,100,” said Yap.

There are an estimated 4,000 taxi drivers in Panay Island.

According to the United Taxi Drivers of Panay, on the other hand, the flagdown rate reduction was anti-labor because it could displace taxi drivers and was also hurting small taxi operators.

The other day, the president of Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (ICLAJODA) said they would file a 50-centavo fare increase petition before the LTFRB regional office.

“The oil price increases are too steep. These are too much for us jeepney drivers to bear,” said Raymundo Parcon, president of ICLAJODA.

The current minimum jeepney fare is P6.50 for regular passengers and P5 for students, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

ICLAJODA was supposed to file the petition yesterday but it failed to gather more signatures from members. Parcon said the filing will happen on Thursday, Dec. 1.

For their part, the Pinag-Isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston-Panay) will be convening members to talk about the proposed 50-centavo jeepney fare increase, said association president Edgar Salarda.

“The P6.50 fare is not enough with the oil price hikes, piyerde kami,” Salarda told Panay News.

In his estimate, a provincial jeepney driver will lose P20 every day due to the oil price increases.

“That’s P400 a month. Pwede mo pa ina tani magamit sa iban nga bagay,” said Salarda.

Data from the Department of Energy last week showed that diesel prices ranged from P25.75 to P29.32 per liter and gasoline from P34.60 to P44.10 per liter./PN
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