Former House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Congressman Carlos Isagani Zarate strongly criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for proceeding with the LRT-1 fare hike implementation today, burdening further Filipino commuters amidst escalating economic challenges.
In response to the Department of Transportation’s statement justifying the fare hike for the LRT-1 extension to Cavite under a Public-Private Partnership contract, Zarate questioned the logic of passing the financial burden onto commuters.
“Why should commuters bear the costs of the line extension? Wasn’t it the private sector that committed investment in the first place? As for financial necessity, why was this not part of the LRMC’s fare hike petition? They simply cited a very onerous contractual obligation to unjustly raise fares,” Zarate expressed.
The fare increase, effective today, raises maximum single journey fares from P45 to P55 and minimum fares from P15 to P20, directly impacting the daily expenses of workers who rely on the LRT for transportation.
“With each peso added to the fare, ordinary workers are deprived of essential resources. This P5-P10 hike translates to less food on the table for families already struggling to survive,” Zarate emphasized. “Every peso added to the fare is a meal taken away from the mouths of Filipino families, especially the children.”
Bayan Muna joins other commuters and progressive groups in demanding the immediate suspension of the fare hike and urges the administration to prioritize the welfare of Filipino commuters over contractual obligations to private entities.
“President Marcos, Jr. should moderate the greed of his capitalist and oligarch friends’ and instead exhibit genuine concern for the plight of ordinary Filipinos. The implementation of the fare hike should have been halted today. Stop it now,” Zarate concluded.
“Sa bawat karagdagang pasanin sa ating mga commuters, mas lumalalim ang paghihirap na dinaranas ng ating mga kababayan. Hindi tama na ang gastos ay ililipat sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan habang ang malalaking kumpanya ay limpak-limpak naman ang kinikita,” he added.
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) is a joint venture involving Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC) of business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ayala Corporation’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (AC Infra), Sumitomo Corporation, and Macquarie Investments Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL) under the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure.
In September 2015, LRMC took over the operations and maintenance of LRT-1 through a 32-year concession agreement worth PHP 65 billion with the Department of Transportation and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). #
