Labor group: MRT, LRT fare hike to erode poor workers’ take home pay further

The implementation of fare hike for the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit systems would further erode minimum-wage workers' daily take home pay, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said Saturday.

In a press statement, TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the daily wage rate of a minimum-wage earner in the National Capital Region is at P466, but due to inflation and mandatory salary deductions, their net take home pay is at P362.

"With the new round of fare hike in both the MRT and the LRT systems, they approximate the take home pay of hundreds of thousands of riding minimum-wage workers to be roughly close to around P322," he said.

"The consequences of the fare adjustment will make the working poor remain poor. This very important piece of information was not [considered as a factor] in the government decision-making process," he added.

Also, he said that based on the Government Family Income and Expenditure Survey in 2009, a family of six would need at least P1,200 a day to "normally survive."

On the other hand, Tanjusay said they are set to join a protest against the LRT-MRT fare hike on Sunday and Monday to pressure Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose Emilio Abaya to postpone the implementation of the fare adjustment.

Earlier on Friday, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said the Department of Transportation and Communication's decision to start the implementation of the fare hike on a Sunday may be intentional.

"Mukhang tinayming nila na Sunday mag-take-effect. Walang korte, walang Kongreso, lahat may hangover pa from New Year. Siguro protesta na lang ng taumbayan ang makahaharang nito sa Sunday," he said.

"Magsara man ang korte, masara man nila ang Kongreso, hindi naman nila masasara ang kalsada. So far, sa tatlong attempt nila sa pag-increase ng fare, nahaharangan ng protesta ng mga tao," he added.

Earlier in December, the DOTC announced that it would implement an increased base fare of P11 for both the MRT and the LRT systems, with P1.00 charged per additional kilometer on Jan. 4.

Based on the new fare matrices issued by the DOTC, rates for end-to-end trips on the MRT-3 will increase to P28 from P15 (from North Avenue to Taft Avenue and vice versa); P30 from P20 on LRT-1 (from Baclaran to Roosevelt and vice versa); and P25 from P15 on LRT-2 (from Recto to Santolan and vice versa). — Amanda Fernandez/LBG, GMA News