LTFRB: Protests won’t stop taxi fare cuts

EVEN as a thousand taxi drivers picketed in front of his office on East Avenue, Quezon City, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chair Winston Ginez said there was no stopping the taxi fare cut on March 19.

“Under [the] LTFRB’s rules of procedure and practice, fare adjustments are immediately executory upon [the] effectivity of the decision even if a motion for reconsideration or clarification has been filed and pending,” Ginez said in a message to the Inquirer on Wednesday.

The protesting taxi cab drivers also called for Ginez’s resignation even as the official was in Vietnam for the 31st Asean Transport Facilitation Working Group Meeting.

They were protesting the March 8 order that made the P30 flag-down rate permanent and adjusted the succeeding rate of P3.50. The rate was reduced by lengthening the distance from every 300 meters to every 500 meters.

However, in consideration of the worsening traffic situation, the waiting rate was pegged also at P3.50 for every 90 seconds instead of 120 seconds.

The new flag-down rate will take effect on March 19 after an announcement has come out in a national newspaper, with or without taxi meters being re-calibrated.

However, cab drivers need to have their meters re-calibrated and resealed before they can charge the new succeeding rates.

The schedule for the re-calibration and resealing will be based on the last digit of the cab’s plate number—those ending in 4, 9 and 2 in April; 5, 7 and 0 in May; and 1, 3, 6 and 8 in June.

The Philippine National Taxi Operators Association (PNTOA) earlier filed a motion for reconsideration questioning the LTFRB computation, saying taxi drivers stand to lose about P1,300 a day from the new rates.

PNTOA president and Quezon City Councilor Bong Suntay and Stop and Go president Jun Magno said the protests against the “unjust” fare cut would continue today as they noted that oil prices were increasing.

According to Ginez, the fare cut was unanimously arrived at by him and board members Ariel Inton and Ronaldo Corpus.

“We made the decision only after seriously considering the forecast of oil prices in the world market and current economic condition of the working class in the country, including the taxi drivers,” he said.

On Tuesday, Petron, Shell and Seaoil raised gasoline prices by  P1.60 per liter, diesel by P1.25 per liter and kerosene by P1.15 per liter. –Erika Sauler