PARTY-LIST group Bayan Muna on Thursday urged the Supreme Court (SC) to immediately resolve its petition seeking to nullify the fare increase implemented for Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines 1 and 2, and refund the money collected from the increase.
The petitioner filed its motion to resolve the petition pointing out that the series of tragedies that struck MRT only proves that the fare hikes have not actually served their purpose.
“Despite the much-questioned and much-protested fare hike, [MRT 3] continues to give its passengers poor and unsatisfactory services,” the petitioner said.
Bayan Muna filed the petition assailing the constitutionality of Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Department Order (DO) 2014-04 through Party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate, former Party-list Rep. Neri Comenares, Antonio Cruz, Yvonne Luna and Carl Ala.
DO 2014-04 allows a P11 fare increase for both LRT and MRT, with an additional P1 charge for every kilometer.
Four others seeking the same relief have been filed petitions before the Court.
“[MRT 3] continues to experience technical problems that endanger the safety of the riding public. News about its malfunctions has now become so common, and complaints from the public have been increasing,” the motion read.
Several other petitions have been filed and are still pending before the SC seeking the same relief.
The petitioners refused to accept the government’s justification for the fare increases, saying that the LRT and MRT are “public services” and must be “subject to regulation, and their fare rate may not be adjusted unilaterally.”
The petitioners added that the fare increases are void, since then-DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya has no quasi-judicial power to determine fare rates for LRT and MRT.
They added it is the Land Transportation and Franchising Board that has the right to exercise such function.
Under the rates being questioned, the passengers of LRT Line 1, from Baclaran in Pasay City to Monumento in Caloocan City and vice versa, are now paying P30 for single-journey tickets and P29 for stored-value tickets, from the maximum P20 fare.
Passengers of the newer LRT Line 2, from Recto in Manila to Santolan in Pasig City and vice versa, are paying P25 for single-journey tickets and P24 for stored-value tickets, from the former P15, while those taking MRT 3, from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City and vice versa, are paying P28 from P15 for stored-value and single-journey tickets.
Currently, the MRT is experiencing glitches in its operation. Just last week, a coach detached from the train, prompting the evacuation of over a hundred passengers.
The incident happened after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) terminated its maintenance contract with Busan Universal Railway Inc. It later filed a criminal complaint against former transportation officials.
The petitioners said the action done by the DOTr is an admission of the sorry state of the country’s train system.
“We could not agree more. In almost three years of this fare hike, we saw that nothing significant happened to the supposed service improvement in the MRT 3/LRT lines [1 and 2],” the motion read.