AUTOPRO PETITION DENIED

LOCAL jeepney drivers in Pangasinan are disappointed, after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) denied their petition for a fare hike, while approving petitions in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa.

This was bared by Bernard Tuliao, head of the Alliance of United Transport Association Provincewide (Autopro) – Pangasinan chapter, in an interview on behalf of jeepney drivers in the province.

It could be recalled that on June 8, the LTFRB approved a provisional PHP 1 fare hike petitioned by groups representing jeepney drivers, or the minimum fare for the first four kilometers will be PHP 10.

This, according to the LTFRB national office, is their response to the frequent fuel price hike, now at an alarming rate.

“Hindi lang naman sila ang nahihirapan sa pagtaas ng petrolyo. Pati kami. Eh bakit sila lang ang napiling magtaas?”, Tuliao, who actively pursued his group’s fare hike petitions to the LTFRB, said.

The Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (Acto), Autopro’s national counterpart, also carried Tuliao’s petition to the national headquarters, but only select areas were approved.

Tuliao and other transport group heads in the province are bent on consolidating their petitions to convince LTFRB to give in to their petition as well because if the fuel costs continue to increase in the following weeks, jeepney drivers may stop operating to find other work.

Meanwhile Autopro appealed to LTFRB to include all it members in its service contracting program.

This, after the LTFRB selected only a few to join the Service Contracting Program.

Tuliao cited the situation in Calasiao-Dagupan route, only 35 out of 400 jeepneys were chosen by the LTFRB to provide free-rides to frontline workers, and will be paid for the number of days they set out.

The LTFRB only selected modern jeepney units for the program, and a modernized jeepney unit costs around P1.6 – P2.5 million.

In Pangasinan, a transport group in Lingayen only has 38 modernized units, 20 in Bonuan Boquig, and some units in Sual.

“Maski sana isang buwan na mapasama lahat sa service contracting program, malaking tulong na iyon para makaahon din nang maski konti ang mga tsuper natin.” said Tuliao. (Ahikam Pasion)

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