MRTand LRT Fare Hike: A Burden for the Train Commuters

                The Department of Transportation and Communications is still in the midst of criticism because of the MRT and LRT fare hike. Instead to bring good news to this Christmas season, the fare increase serves as their gift to the commuters. They will welcome 2015 with a heavy heart. Of course, the public are not happy to the decision of DOTC Sec. Emilio Abaya. For them, he just proved that he has no concern to the train commuters. The secretary is just thinking about money and he doesn’t care about their situation. Sen. Grace Poe is right when she said that the DOTC became insensitive with their decision.

                Sec. Abaya stated that it is about time to increase the fare in MRT because its fare became stagnant for many years. Their operation expenses were tremendously increased, so they need to make some adjustment to recover their expenses. He emphasized that the government is paying high subsidy for the train commuters. He wanted to point out that the government doesn’t earn from MRT/LRT. They mean that this time, they want to earn from it? Although what they are doing is an obligation- to provide a comfortable mass transportation like MRT and LRT.

                The train commuters don’t want to accept the explanation of Sec. Abaya why they need to implement fare hike in MRT-3. He said that they will use the earnings for the improvement of our train system. If I were Sec. Abaya, I would improve first the MRT line before I ask for fare hike. For sure, no one can’t complain because they already seen the result of their work. Instead to get additional funds from the commuters, why don’t they use the government’s fund? The Congress allotted fund for that in our 2015 national budget.

                Sec. Abaya also said that their department wanted to give funds for the residents of Visayas and Mindanao. He emphasized that only the Metro Manila residents are gaining benefits in MRT and LRT. How about the people from those two parts of our country?  I’ve got his point, but even without DOTC, there are many government agencies that could help our countrymen from those areas if this is the concern of Sec. Abaya.

                By the way, the investor of MRT-3 which is the Metro Rail Transit Corporation has no involvement about the fare hike. The truth is, the DOTC is not consulting them whatever their plan in MRT line. So, the commuters should erase the idea that the MRT investors would gain benefit from that increase. For sure, if the MRTC would ask for fare hike they will improve the MRT line first. Former MRTC chief is willing to work hand in hand with the DOTC, but Sec. Abaya doesn’t want to cooperate with them. Instead, they wanted to kick out MRTC on their way that’s why he is still not surrender the MRT buyout. Sec. Abaya said, he needs to follow this because this is his mandate from the President. But how they could do that? The Senate didn’t allot funds for the MRT buyout unless they will use the money that they will get from fare hike to pursue their plan although many people has a doubt if the DOTC can handle properly the operation of the MRT-3.