As driver and operators call for the government to take action on the surging oil prices.
On Thursday, March 26, transport groups, led by Manibela, mounted a nationwide strike as it called for the prioritization of the removal of excise tax and value added tax (VAT) on petroleum products, and pushed for the repealing of the oil deregulation law.
With 100,000 members joining the activity, the government activated agencies, such as the Office of the President (OP), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Department of Energy (DOE), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Philippine National Police (PNP).
From 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on Thursday and again on Friday, March 27, buses will ply the route of Philcoa-Cubao, Welcome Rotonda-Cubao, Lawton-Welcome Rotonda, Lawton-PITX, Nagtahan-Cubao, and Commonwealth-Fairview.
LTFRB also deployed 10 service vehicles each to Fairview-Quiapo and SM Masinag-Quiapo routes, while 12 units from the LTO were utilized for passengers in Philcoa, Commonwealth, Aurora Boulevard, Monumento, Quirino Highway amd Fairview.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez has also directed both agencies to continue their “libreng sakay” in the next few days, eben without a strike, to serve commuters.
EXPANDING DOTr’s SCP TO LGUs
Meanwhile, during the first hearing of Senate’s PROTECT Committee to address the economic consequences of the Middle East conflict, Lopez urged lawmakers to expand the Service Contracting Program (SCP) or “Libreng Sakay” of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to the local government units (LGUs).
According to him, this program will benefit more public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators, and passengers, and is viewed as a possible mitigating measure to help ease the burden of the commuters, drivers and operators.
“If we have Service Contracting or Libreng Sakay, mami-mitigate po natin kasi we are also addressing the commuters,” said Lopez. “In the same way, we are sustaining the supply of transport kasi we are also paying the operators and drivers.”
He added, “‘Yung Service Contracting po sana ay we can expand it to LGUs. Hindi lang po sa national, pati LGUs. If we can empower them, they can have their own Service Contracting or Libreng Sakay.”
Aside from SCP, Secretary Lopez said that the DOTr is also implementing other strategies to address the impact of oil price hikes, including the Fuel Subsidy Program (FSP) for PUV drivers and operators.
On top of that, MRT-3 and LRT-2 has also begun implementing the 50% fare discount for all passengers, while there are toll discounts for Class 1, 2, and 3 PUVs in major experessways.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has also reduced the passenger service charge and aeronautical fees for CAAP-operated airports, while the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is implementing PHP1 roll-on/roll-off (RORO) terminal fee for Class 3 and 4 vehicles carrying agricultural products.