The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has rejected the proposal of a transport group for a Php 1 "surge fee" in order to address the increasing fuel prices.
Transport group Pasang Masda earlier filed a petition seeking a P1 surcharge fare for commuters who will be caught during rush hours, from 5 AM to 8 AM and from 5 PM and 8 PM.
However, LTFRB chief Teofilo Guadiz III said the PHP 1 increase is a little bit too high for commuters.
He also announced that they would soon disburse P2.9 billion worth of fuel subsidies to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers once they received the budget from the Department of Budget and Management. The subsidy will range from PHP 1,000 to PHP 10,000.
Another petition from the transport groups Liga ng Transportasyon at mga Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP), Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide, STOP and Go and Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Associations of the Philippines were filed before the LTFRB, this time, seeking for a P2 fare adjustment for the first four kilometers amid oil price hikes.
According to LTOP national president Lando Marquez, Guadiz advised them to submit a formal letter requesting an increase in minimum fare.
On Tuesday, prices of gasoline went up by PHP1.90 per liter, diesel by PHP1.50 per liter, and kerosene by PHP2.50 per liter.
This will be the fifth consecutive week of hike for gasoline and the sixth week for diesel and kerosene.
As of August 8, the latest monitoring from the Department of Energy (DOE) showed that the recent domestic price adjustments resulted in a year-to-date net increase of ₱11.50 per liter for gasoline.
The costs of diesel and kerosene have risen by ₱7.10 per liter and ₱2.60 per liter, respectively.
