Groups to plan protest actions vs train fare hike

MANILA, Philippines - Various labor and people's organizations will launch protest actions against the impending Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) fares increase next year.

Josua Mata, secretary general of Sentro ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa (Sentro) and one of the convenors of labor alliance Nagkaisa, said the fare hike is "anti-labor."

"The timing is not just bad. The policy itself is very bad, it's anti-labor," Mata said.

He said labor groups under Nagkaisa will meet after Christmas to come up with protest plans against the fare hike.

Mata noted that majority of the city's train riders belong to the working class who are the ones suffering daily from the poorly maintained railway systems.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) also scored the scheduled increase while the workers' wages stagnated to the barest minimum.

"We believe pulling money out of a worker's pocket through a fare hike is an incentive to private concessionaires. We will gain nothing from it, not even improved services," FFW president Sonny Matula.

Another Nagkaisa convenor, the Associated Labor Unions-TUCP, hit the fare hike, saying it shows the government's repeated blunders in running public utilities because of over-reliance to private concessionaires.

Meanwhile, Renato Reyes Jr. of the militant group Bayan said they will contest the fare increase at the "soonest possible time."

"The DOTC's (Department of Transportation and Communicatios) treachery prevents oppositors from getting a TRO (temporary restraining order) because of the holiday season. Nonetheless, we will protest and challenge the fare hike," Reyes said.

The government hopes to generate around P2 billion from the fare hike which ranges from 50 percent to 87 percent.

Reyes alleged that the reason for the increase is not to give better service to the train ridership but to assure profit to the private companies.

"The users-pay principle government is invoking basically tells the commuter to fend for himself as no government subsidy is forthcoming. It's simply government abandonment of the taxpayers," he said. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Various groups protest Metro Manila elevated train fare hike

Manila: Various groups are opposing the government’s move to hike fares for Metro Manila’s intracity elevated train service as they accused the Aquino administration of favouring the interests of big business rather than those of commuters.

The “Nagkaisa,” (United) said a move of the Department of Transportation and Communications to allow a substantial increase in fares for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transport (MRT) would hit commuters, especially at a time when they needed the elevated trains to get around the metropolis for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The groups opposing the train fare hike said the rate increase had come at a bad time.

“The rate of every crushing ride in MRT and LRT will be rising at a time rates in other public utility transport are falling because of plummeting prices of fuel oil. The timing is not just bad,” said Josua Mata, secretary general of Sentro ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa (United Workers Centre or Sentro).


On the part of the Associated Labour Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), it said the issue is a matter of confused priorities and an ill-effect of the past and present government’s lack of foresight to invest in vital public infrastructures on its own without reliance from the private sector which has its own business interests to look after.

Quite simply they said, the issue of elevated train fare hikes is indicative of the clashing interests of the private
businesses that own and developed the MRT.

The LRT was started during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos in the early 1980s. It was developed to provide cheap and fast transport to commuters in Metro Manila. To do this, the then government had to socialise the infrastructure, in effect “subsidising” a portion of the fares for every train rider.

The MRT on the other hand, which was developed during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos in the 1990s and started operation during the presidency of Joseph Estrada in 2000 was put up mainly from money from private investors rather than the government as in the case of the LRT.

The two public utility infrastructures were from separate and distinct business models and the current government is now trying to blend these two to provide transport to Metro Manila residents and visitors.

“Again, this is another example of the government leading from the back.The result: Over reliance on a greedy, socially irresponsible private sector concessionaire. We are at the not so tender mercy of a government that does not have regulatory resolve,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of ALU-TUCP.

The left-wing umbrella Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance or Bayan) said the matter concerning the fare hikes is an issue of public interest over private sector gain. Fare hikes are much of a political as well it is an economic concern in a developing country such as the Philippines.

Renato Reyes, secretary general of Bayan said the train fare hikes are an “insult” to the commuter riders, most of whom are from the working class, who have to bear riding in unsafe trains.

In the case of the MRT, Japanese experts said the train has increased chances of being involved in a disastrous accident as its rails and overall running systems have been poorly maintained.

Last August 14, a train of the MRT overshot its tracks at the Taft station. The accident caused injury to a number of people. Fortunately there were no fatalities. - By Gilbert P. Felongco - Gulf News

Organized labor opposes MRT/LRT rate hike

The country’s biggest labor coalition Nagkaisa is adding its voice to the growing opposition to the impending rate hikes in the metro rail transport system.

Josua Mata, Secretary General of Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa or Sentro and one of the convenors of Nagkaisa likened the plan to a “wrecking ball” that will smash the train riders en masse come 2015.

“The rate of every crushing ride in MRT and LRT will be rising at a time rates in other PUVs are falling because of plummeting prices of oil. The timing is not just bad. The policy itself is very bad, it’s anti-labor,” said Mata.

Mata said labor groups under Nagkaisa will be meeting after Christmas to come up with protest plans against the fare hike.

Majority of the city’s train riders belong to the working class. They are the ones who suffer the daily violence of riding an beyond-capacity and poorly maintained railway system.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) likewise assailed the planned increase while workers wages stagnated to the barest minimum.

“We believe pulling money out of a worker’s pocket through a fare hike is an incentive to private concessionaires. We will gain nothing from it, not even improved services,” said FFW President Sonny Matula.

Another convenor, the Associated Labor Unions-TUCP, bewailed the fare hike, saying it shows the government’s repeated blunders in running public utilities because of over-reliance to private concessionaires.

“Again, this is another example of PNoy leading from the back. Over reliance on Cabinet Secretary Abaya who not only doesn’t get, but is nowhere to be seen and heard. Result: over reliance on a greedy, socially irresponsible private sector concessionaire. Same thing in power: no policy leadership, ergo emergency powers request by another lackey in the person of Petilla who is letting the private power sector dictate supply policy. We are at the not so tender mercy of a government that does not have regulatory balls,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of ALU-TUCP.

On his part, Partido Manggagawa (PM) spokesman Wilson Fortaleza argued that the government should rather increase, not remove, the subsidies being enjoyed by train riders and at the same time put more money in developing the country’s deteriorating mass transport system.

“To us, subsidizing at least 500 million rides of workers a year is more productive than subsidizing the comfortable travel of 500 VIPs in government,” said Fortaleza, adding that all taxpayers pay for at least P8-billion a year of travel subsidy for our public officials.

In 2012, some 219 million rides were recorded in MRT-3, with an average 600,000 daily passengers. LRT 1 and 2 have 241 million combined.

Protest action staged against harsh, ‘punishing’ Fisheries Law amendments

Iloilo — In a race against time, fishermen and commercial fishing boat operators staged a protest in Iloilo City last Wednesday, December 17 to express their outrage against what they see as overly “harsh and punishing” measures embodied in amendments to the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

About 5,000 fishermen, fishing boat operators and supporters crowded around the Freedom Grandstand here to urge the Aquino administration in averting the negative impacts they expect to impinge on the fishing industry if he enacts into law said amendments on Republic Act No. 8550 (RA 8550) .

STANDING UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT — Fishermen, including employees of domestic fishing boat operators, stage a protest rally at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand last Dec. 17, Wednesday, in an effort to reach the ear of President Aquino. Congress, upon the prodding of BFAR, has moved to amend the existing Philippine Fisheries Code, and among the amendments are measures which the fishing boat operators see as exorbitant and highly stringent. If enacted into law, the Panay Fishing Boat Operators Association (PAFISBO), a member of the bigger Association of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. (APFFI) fears that the hefty penalties will kill the country’s fishing industries and leave hundreds of thousands who depend on the industry without jobs. (Tara Yap)

The protest action initiated by the Panay Fishing Boat Operators Association (PAFISBO) last Wednesday, follows a similar demonstration mobilized in Zamboanga City last Dec. 8 by the Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association (SOPHIL) headed by its Executive Vice President, Roberto Baylosis, along with officers and members of two major labor organizations, Philippine Integrated Industries Labor Union (PIILU) and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Both groups, PAFISBO and SOPHIL are members of the Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. (APFFI), all of which are united in vehemently decrying failure by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in consulting with them when BFAR initiated moves that led to Congress’ passing the amendments to RA 8550, which now awaits President Aquino’s signature.

PAFISBO President Jose Ma. M. Borres said their protest action yesterday “is a unified stand of not only fishing boat operators, but of the fishermen themselves. It is not only us, operators who will be affected by these amendments, but those to whom we give employment to who will lose their jobs if the operators close shop.”

The common call is for President Benigno S. Aquino III to veto the amended proposals of RA 8550 passed by both the Lower House and Senate.

One of the placards held up by a demonstrator in last Wednesday’s rally read: “PNoy, Batyaga ang Pumuluyo (PNoy, Feel the People’s Plight).”

The fishermen shared their sentiments on the excessive and nonsensical penalties imposed in the amendments concocted by the both Senate and the House of Representatives in the Philippine Fisheries Code.

Among the penalties are P2-45 million for lack of necessary permits or incomplete permits; P1-3 million for destruction of wildlife habitat; P500,000-P10 million for environmental violations; P100,000 to P5 million for making false statements regarding status of permits; and P100,000 to P5 million for coercing fishery law enforcers.

Moreover, the proposed amendments will also confiscate fishing vessels and fishing gears.

Worse, the boat captain, chief engineer, chief fisherman, and fishing vessel owner can be imprisoned for any of these violations.

Testimonies from fishermen said the new amendments are not only affecting them, but the Filipino consumers who will suffer because, as pointed out by one PAFISBO member, fishing boat operator Arnaldo Borres, Jr., “the Aquino administration wants to please the European Union (EU) by complying with European standards. It seems that government cares more about foreigners than for its fellow-Filipino.”

To recall, the EU has made demands that Filipino fishing boat operators who go fishing in the high seas, that is, in international waters like Papua New Guinea and Palau, to catch such fish as tuna, which are exported to Europe, have their boats installed with such ultra-expensive equipment as satellite-operated Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and allow observers onboard (whose daily fees running into the thousands of pesos are shouldered by the fishing boat operator). - by Tara Yap - Manila Bulletin