BAYAN Muna lawmakers vowed Wednesday to file a supplemental pleading before the Supreme Court and use the government’s own “three fatal admissions” against the fare increases for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) lines.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said Undersecretary Jose Lotilla of the Department of Transporation and Communications (DOTC) made at least three damaging admissions.
“No. 1 is that Undersecreary Lotilla admitted that the DOTC does not have the authority to increase fares, so the fare hike is illegal,” Colmenares said.
“No. 2, he also admitted that the MRT-LRT makes a profit and that the fare hike would go to the concessionaire,” he said.
“No. 3, Undersecretary Lotilla also said that under the concession agreement for the LRT1 extension, this would just be the first fare increase and that there would be fares hikes every two years,” Colmenares said.
Bayan Muna would use these “fatal admissions” when it argues against the DOTC-approved fare increases, which range from 50 percen tot 87 percent.
“There is treachery and deception on Malacanang’s part because they have not been forthright about these issues and are still doing all they can to justify the fare increase. It is also deplorable that DOTC Secretary Joseph Abaya did not even show up at the hearing but is all over media defending the fare hike,” Colmenares said.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate they would file a supplemental pleading to expedite the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the MRT-LRT fare hikes.
“We believe that the MRT-LRT rate hike is baseless and made without jurisdiction by the Department of Transportation and Communications. We will file a supplemental pleading to elaborate on this and hopefully the Supreme Court will issue a TRO even before the oral arguments,” Zarate said.
“Since the Supreme Court made the government explain, it follows that there was basis for the petitions that were filed to block the fare hike. We still hope that the SC will issue a TRO because it is the commuters who are the ones suffering,” Zarate said.
Both Colmenares and Zarate expressed disappointment that the Court did not issue a TRO yesterday, but instead ordered the respondents—including Abaya—to comment on the petitions against the fare hike.
Zarate said the supplemental pleading would be filed next week.
“We will do all we can to stop these hikes because this is just the start of fare hikes, especially LRT1,” said Colmenares, adding that he has moved for the House to recommend a deferment of the fare hikes pending a decision by the Supreme Court.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said by Lotilla’s own admission, Abaya did not have the authority to impose a fare hike.
“DOTC Secretary Abaya has no authority to order a fare hike. He has no authority to exercise quasi-judicial functions similar to these vested in LTFRB, which approves fares. In short, the increase is unjust and illegal,” said Reyes, whose group also petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a TRO against the fare hike.
Reyes said the fare hike was supposedly imposed based on two documents – the LRTA board resolution and the “recommendations” by the MRT3 office, “both of which were never published nor presented during any of the public consultations held.
“There was grave abuse of discretion and utter lack of transparency on the part of the DOTC. We call on the riding public to protest the increase and support the SC petition. Let’s stop Aquino’s fare hike dead in its tracks,” Reyes said.
The opposition to the fare hikes was joined by the House independent minority bloc Wednesday.
Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz said that the government, through the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), own 78 percent of the economic rights of the MRT.
He said all that the two banks have to do is reduce their share from the 15 percent guaranteed annual income from the MRT system to avoid increasing fares.
“By a simple, direct order from President Aquino reducing the two banks’ take from 15 percent to say 7 percent which is reasonable by any standard, the DOTC’s projected revenues of roughly P2 billion from the illegal and unwarranted fare increase for the MRT and LRT systems can be covered,” de la Cruz said.
“So why must the MRT, LRT fares be raised? Why must the government add another burden to the millions of commuters who go through hellish long lines just to ride the steamy, creaky sardine-can-like train coaches every single working day?” de la Cruz said.
De la Cruz said the Aquino government should now prove its care and compassion for the Filipino people by heeding the overwhelming opposition to the fare hike.
“If the government really has compassion for the people, now is the best time to prove it. If the MRT, as well as the LRT, had deteriorated and is still deteriorating, it is not the fault of the commuters but of the incompetent management and their questionable actions and priorities,” he added.
“It would be nothing less than immoral for the administration to make the commuters pay for their inefficiency and, as is now being proven, corrupt and wayward ways” de la Cruz added.