The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC) on Monday, January 15, debunked the claims of a surge in jeepney fares over five years.

"Yung tungkol po sa sabi nila na P30, P40, P50 in five years wala pong basehan 'yon,” OTC chief Andy Ortega said in a press briefing in Malacañang Palace.

The OTC underscored that jeepney fares would increase depending on fuel price hikes.

“Ang basehan lang ng fare is about fuel increase and function 'yan ng LTFRB. Pinakikinggan po niya ang mga commuters, ang mga transport sectors, umaabot pa po sa National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), at dumarating po ang kanilang desisyon. So yung basehan po, or sinasabi nilang P50, totally has no basis,” Ortega added.

Meanwhile, LTFRB regional director Zona Russet Tamayo clarified that the agency would have to coordinate with NEDA for any decision on jeepney fare hike.

“We’d like to clarify that the determination, while it’s LTFRB that’s mandated to set the minimum fare in the succeeding kilometers, we have to consider that coming up with that decision is not only an LTFRB responsibility,” Tamayo said.

“Kaya po we have to coordinate with NEDA because we all know that transport costs would have that effect even in terms of inflation po. That’s why we’re very careful in determining fares and we have to seek guidance din po with NEDA so that we’ll have a holistic approach because hindi po namin kaya from LTFRB na kami lang po yung nagde-determine,” she added.

1-Rider Partylist earlier urged the government to support the use of locally manufactured modernized jeepneys instead of imported ones as the modernization program could cause a spike in jeepney fares with the minimum being P30 to P40.