LIST OF LOCAL LITERATURE:

1.

Manila, Philippines – The government is mulling on extending the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 2 up to the Port Area to make commuting to the Manila harbor convenient.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya made the revelation during the launching of the new passenger terminal building at Manila North Harbor yesterday.

He said the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is helping the Department ofTransportation and Communications (DoTC) to study the feasibility of extending LRT 2 from Recto to Manila’s Port Area.

“We believe that with this kind of facility in Manila North Harbor, people will be using ships more often for their travels,” Abaya said in his speech, referring to the newly inaugurated North Port Passenger Terminal Complex.

But Abaya clarified that the move is not meant to serve private interests, especially that of the Romero-led Manila North Harbour Port, Inc. (MNHPI) that holds concession of the facility, but primarily to benefit poor residents living in adjacent barangays in Tondo.

“It would be a good project considering that the poverty incidence in the area is high. Having a mass transit to serve people in Tondo will open up opportunities for them,” he told reporters.

Aside from the linkage of Manila’s Port Area to the rest of Metro Manila through trains, the pier will soon be connected to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) via the planned NLEx-Harbor Link or the NLEx Segment 9 and eventually linked to South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) through NLEx Segment 10. Segment 9 is a 2.4-kilometer portion linking the NLEx to MacArthur Highway, while Segment 10 is a 5.65-kilometer road that starts where Segment 9 ends on MacArthur Highway and stretches all the way to C3 Road.

Abaya said government is only waiting for Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) to agree on the joint venture firm that will be formed to build the expressway.

MPIC is the parent company of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., under which Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) operates as concessionaire of the NLEx.

(NEW PORT TERMINAL – A ceremony to open the New Port Passenger Terminal Complex at theManila North Harbor, Delpan, Tondo, Manila, was held Oct. 8, 2013. Leading the ceremonies were, from left: Transportation and Communication Secretary Emilio A. Abaya; Land Bank of the Philippines CEO Gilda Pico; Philippine Ports Authority generalmanager Juan C. Sta. Ana; Manila North Harbour Port Chairman Dr. Michael Romero. The

North Port Passenger Terminal complex is part of the government’s plan to provide world-class passenger terminal convenience. (Photo by Linus Guardian Escandor II)

2.

PH, Korea firms to secure LRT 2 consultancy contractBy Miguel R. CamusPhilippine Daily Inquirer 9:32 pm | Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

  10   62   1

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The consultancy contract for the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT 2) extension in Cainta, Rizal, soon may be awarded to a Korean-Filipino group after their lone offer cleared a key hurdle.

The consortium of Foresight Development and Surveying Co., Soosung EngineeringCo. Ltd. and Korea Rail Network Authority, last month submitted a P247-millionoffer for the contract that would cover the civil works component of the P9.7-billion extension project.

The bid is below the P350-million ceiling set by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Hernando Cabrera, spokesperson for the Light Rail Transit Authority, yesterday said that the technical working group submitted a recommendation in favor of the Foresight-led consortium.

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The bids and awards committee will review the recommendation, after which the contract may be issued.

It was the second time that the government tried to auction off the contract. Foresight Development, along with its partners, emerged both times as the onlyqualified group.

Four other groups were disqualified during the most recent bidding round, an official said. These were Schema Konsult Inc. in partnership with Perconsult International, KE Asia Inc., DCCD Engineering Corp., Key Engineers Co. and Pronconsult Inc.; Systra Philippines, with Philipp’s Technical Consultants Corp.; Science and Vision for Technology Inc., with Yooshin Engineering Corp.;and J.F. Cancio and Associates, with Development and Engineering Management Corp., Engineering and Development Corp., Filipinas Dravo Corp., TCGI Engineers, Urban Integrated Consultants Inc. and Oriental Consultants Co. Ltd.

The project involves the extension of the existing LRT-2 by 4.2 kilometers to the east, or from the Santolan station on Marcos Highway in Pasig to Masinag, Cainta, in Rizal

Read more: http://business.inquirer.net/156719/ph-korea-firms-to-secure-lrt-2-consultancy-contract#ixzz2t5OCUgBA Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

3.

DOTC reconsidering LRT 2 extension planBy Miguel R. CamusPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:16 am | Thursday, October 10th, 2013   1  234  6Need Office in Manila?Amazing Office Space to Rent.Fully Furnished. Quick Quote Now!regus.com.ph/Manila_Serviced_Office

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LRT Line 2. PHOTO FROM LRTA.GOV.PH

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Transportation and Communications said a study on a separate extension of the 13.8-kilometer Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT 2) to Manila’s port area, previously deemed “unfeasible,” has been revived, its top official said.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya told reporters on Wednesdaythat the department was again studying the plan with Japan International Cooperation Agency, which was earlier tapped by thegovernment to formulate a transport plan for Mega Manila.

The DOTC, which has been having difficulty in bidding out major railway deals, is in the process of bidding out the consulting and engineering works for the extension of the LRT-2 by 4.2-km tothe east to Masinag, Rizal.

Abaya did not provide details on the planned extension to the port area in Manila.

“Initially, given the situation in the area, it wasn’t viable… But if you look at it and the bigger picture, you can justify theproject,” Abaya noted at the sidelines of the opening of a new passenger terminal in Manila North Harbor.

He said the proposed project “deserved a second look” given the benefits that a mass transportation railway could give to the areas that would be covered.

“It really opens up opportunities,” he said.

The planned railway is seen to complement other infrastructure projects set for the area. These include an 8-km toll road that will be built by the road arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. That project would link the port area to Metro Pacific’s North Luzon Expressway.

Abaya, meanwhile, noted that another public-private partnership deal, the P1.72-billion Automated Fare Collection System, would be delayed further.

The submission date was moved from October to Nov. 18.

Read more: http://business.inquirer.net/146761/dotc-reconsidering-lrt-2-extension-plan#ixzz2t5OL1bLy Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

4.

Pinoys on bullet train plan: Improve MRT, LRT first By Camille Diola (philstar.com) | Updated January 6, 2014 - 12:49pm

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The Light Rail Transit system in Manila (left) and a bullet train in Japan (right)

MANILA, Philippines -Some Filipino netizens want the government to improve and maintain existing projects first before pushing through with plans to construct a rapid train system.

Reacting to the story "Manila-Clark bullet train pushed," netizens also said that while they wish the country has its own high-speed transport system, the proposal is a"big joke" and may only be another press release.

5.

DOTC to bid out contract for new railway station By Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 15, 2014 - 12:00am

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Photo from MorganKennedy2013.org

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is set to bid out the contract for the construction of the common station near the Trinoma Mall in North Ave. to connect the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) systems within the first half of the year.

Based on the presentation made to prospective bidders of the P65-billion Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 Cavite extension project, the DOTC said the LRT1 North Edsa common station project worth P1.39 billion would be constructed near the Trinoma mall.

The DOTC is looking at completing the bidding and awarding of the contract for the project within the first half of the year so that construction would start in the third quarter.

The DOTC hopes to complete the proposed common station by the third quarter of 2015.

The project would involve a turn-back system between the SM North EDSA and Trinoma malls to serve as an area where trains would maneuver to change directions.

The station would serve as a common platform to interconnect LRT1 that runs from Baclaran to Monumento, the MRT 3 that traverses EDSA from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Ave. in Pasay City, and the proposed MRT7 of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. that would run from Caloocan City and pass through Lagro and Fairview, Novaliches, Batasan, Diliman, Philcoa, before ending at EDSA.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

The proposed common station was one of the seven major infrastructure projects worth P184.2 billion approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Aside from the P1.4 billion common station project, other projects approved by the NEDA Board include the P64.9-billion LRT1 Cavite extension project, the P62.7-billion Metro Rail Transit 7 project, the P24.4 billion Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project of the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS).

6.

LRT, MRT shorten operating hoursBy Julliane Love De JesusINQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – With few commuters expected to ride trains on New Year’s eve, Light Rail and Metro Rail Transits will shorten their operation hours on Tuesday.

Atty. Hernando Cabrera, LRT spokesperson, posted in his Twitter the last train schedules for December 31, which was declared by the government as a special nonworking holiday.The last train from LRT Line 2 Recto station will depart at 7:30 p.m. while in Santolan station, the last trip will be at 7 p.m.

For both LRT Line 1 Roosevelt and Baclaran stations, last train schedule is also at 7 p.m.

As for the MRT, the last northbound train will leave at Taft Avenue station at 9 p.m. while the last southbound train from North Avenue station will depart earlier at 8:30 p.m.

The normal train schedules, however, will be observed on other days.

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7.

DOTC execs slammed at MRT, LRT fare-hike consultation

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net

6:46 pm | Thursday, December 12th, 2013

MANILA, Philippines — “Why? And why now?” were the questions asked repeatedly during apublic consultation Thursday on the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) proposed fare increase.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is proposing to raise the fares of the three lines by at least P10 for end station to end station tickets.

“Magandang Pamasko ito eh (A fine Christmas present),” a sarcastic Sammy Malunes, spokesperson of commuters group Riles Network, said to officials of the DOTC and the LRT Authority (LRTA).

Malunes argued that the proposal had come at the wrong time, with the public still reeling from the previous calamities and the increase in the prices of other necessities.

He was echoed by Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes who said, “The public is burdened by the successive increase in power rates, LPG prices, oil prices, and possibly a jeepney fare increase.”

Reyes pointed out that the consultation was not even able to attract a big audience, with the holidays fast approaching.

“What is the reason for holding this consultation at this time, when the year is aboutto end?” he added.

The government officials, however, did not answer.

Reyes said the fare hike was probably being railroaded to entice investors for the privatization of the rail system.

Meanwhile, Elvira Medina of the National Council for Commuters Protection said the fare increase would further burden the workers whose minimum wage is not enough to cover their families’ needs.

“Public transport is a major responsibility of the state to the nation. These are the workers (majority of train passengers) that drive the engines of economy,” she said.

MRT-3 Director Renato San Jose said they have a budget deficit of P7.25 billion while the LRTA has a deficit of P4.7 billion.

However, opposing groups pointed out that the deficit was not from operating expenses but from debt payment. They claimed it was caused by onerous contracts.

The public consultation is still ongoing.

Related stories

MRT operations stalled

DOTC seeks ‘P11 + 1’ fare hike scheme

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8.

LRT, MRT fare hike looms Gov’t Seeks To Reduce Subsidy For Train Operations

by Genalyn KabilingFebruary 3, 2014

Manila, Philippines — A fare increase in Metro Manila’s railway system is inevitable.

President Benigno S. Aquino III made another pitch for higher fare at the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT), saying the government seeks to reduce its subsidy for the trains’ operations so that the funds can be used for other social services.

The President said it unfair for the entire country to shoulder the operation cost of the railway system which benefits only the residents of Metro Manila.

“Isn’t it fair that you pay a little bit more, you bring it at least to the level of the air-conditioned bus — which provides to our mind a lesser service — and then you lessen the burden of others who are not able to avail themselves of this service?” Aquino said in a television interview last Saturday night.

The government plans to bring the train fares closer to the fares of air-conditioned buses. At present, the government shoulders P20.46 of the P34.74 passenger fare in LRT1 and 2, and P41.46 of the P53.96 fare in MRT 3.

Aquino said despite providing better service, the LRT and MRT offer fares that are currently lower to the fare in air-conditioned buses.

“We think the LRT and MRT system provides a better service than a bus so when you get a better service, normally you pay more. But here we have a situation where you pay less for the better service,” he said.

Of the 95 million Filipinos, Aquino pointed out that only 14 million residents of Metro Manila benefit from the MRT and LRT system. “It’s pitiful for the others who arenot getting a service but are actually paying for the system,” he said.

Aquino said he believes that considering the interest of the vast majority of the people would be “fair” in deciding on the issue of the proposed fare hike in the MRT and LRT.

“The knee jerk reaction is the fares will increase. But with the proper context, hopefully they would enable us to provide similar services to the other portions of the country by ensuring that the resources are not concentrated on an endeavor that doesn’t seem to be fair,” he said.

Early this month, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) temporarily deferred the fare increase for Metro Manila’s rail system due to the impending power rate increase.

The government has proposed a “11+1” formula – which means that passengers will be charged P11 to board the trains plus P1 for every kilometer traveled. With the proposed rate, MRT and LRT fares would increase to almost P30 from the first station to the last station.

The planned fare hike would allow the government to save P2.06 billion which can be used to improve the country’s railway service.

9.

P1.72-B ticketing project for LRT-MRT awarded by Kris BayosFebruary 1, 2014 (updated)

Manila, Philippines – The single-ticketing system for the Light and Metro Rail Transits (LRT-MRT) is on its way with the awarding of the project to the joint ventureof Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC). The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) awarded the first public-private partnership project that will modernize the ticketing system of Metro Manila’s mass transit facilities.

<img class="size-full wp-image-88049" alt="LRT, MRT ticket, Manila Bulletin"src="http://www.mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ticketslrt.jpg" width="144"

height="180" /> The DoTC awarded the Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) projectto Ayala-MPIC’s AF Consortium, which offered the “best” proposal to install, operateand maintain a single-ticketing facility for the Light and Metro Rail Transits (LRT-

MRT)

The DOTC yesterday announced the awarding of the Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) project to Ayala-MPIC’s AF Consortium. It offered the “best” proposal to install, operate, and maintain a single-ticketing facility for the LRT-MRT.

The budget for the AFCS project was pegged at P1.72 billion but AF Consortium offered a negative bid of 1,088,103,900. By doing so, AF Consortium will make premium payment to government apart from undertaking the project.

•Sept. 2015

The signing of the concession agreement between the DOTC and the winning bidder is setto follow soon. Under the concession agreement, the AFCS ticketing scheme will be fully integrated at the LRT and MRT systems by September, 2015.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya said AF Consortium was awarded the project after offering to set up the infrastructure at no cost to government or to the passengers.

“We are pleased to announce that a modern ticketing system is on its way for our trainriders. This is part of the DOTC’s effort to improve our services at the LRT and the MRT. The AFCS will provide passengers with more comfort, convenience, and efficiency in their daily commute, at no cost to government or to the passengers,” he said.

•Single-Ticket System

The AFCS project covers the design, development, installation and implementation of the new single-ticketing system; the provision of the contactless media; the maintenance of the system for a concession period of 10 years; and the operation of anAFCS central clearing house.

The AFCS can easily be expanded to other transport modes and systems, such as buses, and toll roads among others.

•Smart Card

The PPP project will entail contactless smart-card technology to replace the magnetic tickets currently being used to ride the LRT and MRT. The contactless cards will only be tapped atop the readers installed at station gates while the magnetic cards have tobe inserted in the readers before the passenger enters the station platform. Once in place, the single ticketing system will substantially lessen passenger queuing time and allow seamless transfers from one rail line to another.

•Rail Improvement

“This shift to a modern fare collection system is only the beginning of several rail improvement projects in our pipeline. We are increasing the capacity of MRT-3 and buying out its private owner, extending the rail lines of LRT-1 and LRT-2, and building a new one called MRT-7,” Abaya added.

The DOTC is set to bid out the P1.39-billion contract to design and build the LRT-MRT Common Station adjacent to the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. The facility will connect connect LRT-1, MRT-3 and the proposed MRT-7, he said.

•MRT-3

“As for the MRT-3 buyout, government has already begun the process to acquire the urban railway’s facilities and to end government’s obligation to pay exorbitant rentalfees to the private owner until the next decade,” Abaya explained.

The DOTC is still in the process of awarding the contracts to extend the LRT-1 to Bacoor in Cavite and LRT-2 to Masinag in Antipolo, as well as determine the winning supplier of the new coaches for the MRT-3.

10.

Keeping on straight track COMMONSENSE By Marichu A. Villanueva (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 29, 2014 - 12:00am

 During the Christmas period, there was so much traffic along the major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. It was vacation time and last minute rush for shopping for the season. Understandably, there was just so many people and vehicles on holiday travels.This is why also the passenger volume in both the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) more than doubled during that period.

Just to get a ride in either the LRT or MRT, passengers complained that it takes them at least 30 minutes — if they are lucky — in the queue until they get to ride. Adding

to the long time they wait in line are the usual tight security checks on bags and other items that passengers must go through. Since it’s Christmas holiday, the usual wrapped gift boxes prolonged the security checks.

Almost a month after the holidays, however, the long-winding queues of passengers at the MRT and LRT are still continuing. In fact, my good friend Charie Villa of ABS-CBN posted the following in her Twitter and Instagram yesterday with a supporting brief video of the situation: ”The queue to the MRT station in Quezon Avenue inhuman. It’s getting worse everyday! Something must be done!!! Tao po!!! Tao kami!!! at Yellow Line-Quezon Avenue Station.”

Reacting to Chari’s Twitter, several people added their own laments that passengers are in much worse situation in LRT-1 plying Taft Avenue. And it is not just the queuing but passengers also have to bear jampacked coaches. 

This is not to mention incidence of glitches that stop the LRT and MRT services at times in the middle of tracks or stalled at stations.

These are the things the riding public have to deal with because it’s the cheapest mass transport that spares us from the traffic jams.

Opinion ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 LRT 1 runs from Baclaran station in Pasay City to Roosevelt station in Quezon City andserves at least half a million passengers daily. LRT 2, estimated to be serving 350,000 commuters every day, runs across Metro Manila from Recto station in Manila to Santolan station in Pasig City.

MRT 3 line runs along EDSA, with stations from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City. It is said to carry around 600,000 passengers daily or almost twice its 350,000 capacity.

Last week, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya announced the Aquino administration has deferred the scheduled fare increase in both the LRT and MRT.

The board of LRT Authority approved in May 2011 a formula wherein a fixed rate of P11 plus P1 per kilometer would be charged to MRT and LRT passengers. Using the formula, MRT and LRT passengers would have to shell out P10 more for those taking the ride fromend-to-end.

The proposed fare hike is expected to yield P2.06 billion worth of additional revenues. Supposedly, the fare hikes were intended to finance upgrading of existing facilities, improve services and better the maintenance works.

Meanwhile, the DOTC also has delayed its announcement last week on the formal award ofthe contract to the winning bidders in the single-ticketing system for both the LRT and MRT. Called Automated Fare Collection System (ACFS), the proposed facility would spare commuters using the MRT and LRT lines from suffering snake-like queues as a result of the different tickets for the mass transport system.

The different ticketing schemes employed in the three mass transport systems have beenblamed for the long lines of passengers buying tickets at the train stations.

The ACFS project is one of the public-private partnerships (PPP) of the Aquino administration, originally estimated at P1.7 billion. It will install a system whereina stored-value card, similar to the Octopus Card of Hong Kong, can be used to pay for fares on the MRT 3 and LRT 1 and 2.The results of the bidding for this project are highly anticipated, not just because of the project’s scale but also because the outcome will give us an indication of how far the Aquino government has been able to institutionalize reforms toward a transparent and independent procurement system. 

At the opening of bids on December 9, 2013, two consortia emerged on top with offers to pay the government over a billion pesos to install and run the system over a ten-year period. The AF Consortium, composed of BPI Card Finance Corp., Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), Smart Communications, Inc., Globe Telecom, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. (Ayala Corp.), and NTT Data Corp. (Oracle Solutions), outbid the consortium of the SM Group, which is composed of SM Investments Corp., BDO Capital and Investments Corp., Advanced Card Systems Ltd (ACS) of Hong Kong, and Pentacapital Investment Corp., by a slim P103,900.

While the track record of the members of the consortium shows their capability to implement the project, the names behind them were big supporters of President Aquino. Indeed, a closer look at the bids will show that the devil is in the details. It raised suspicions the award of the project to the AF Consortium may have been based onsome political considerations outside the bidding parameters.

Adding to the suspicion is the appeal filed by the E-Trans Solutions Consortium, composed of East West Banking Corp., Sagesoft Solutions, Inc., Pilipinas Micro Matrix Technology (PMP Joint Venture), Inc. and Pulsar Avancer Tech. Inc. E-Trans failed in the technical stage of the evaluation. But they urged and the DOTC obliged to open itsfinancial bid anyway.

This is clearly against the rules of the 2-stage bidding process, which states that only the financial proposals of those who passed the technical proposal will be considered in the second stage. To accommodate their appeal would in effect open the project to the possibility of being awarded to a group that lacks the capacity to implement it.

The SM Group also sent a letter to the DOTC seeking clarification on the definition ofthe unqualified and unconditional bids.

These details bear watching. We’ve learned from past big-ticket projects that the merits of a bid are sometimes not the sole basis for awarding government contracts. Let’s all hope that this is not the case for this important PPP project. Ultimately, the government will have to consider what will literally keep the LRT and MRT single-ticketing project on track along P-Noy’s “Tuwid na Daan.”

11.

InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - The planned fare hike for Metro Manila's mass rail systems will primarily be for debt service and not for service improvements, according to labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM). 

After participating in Thursday's public consultation on the proposed increase, PM representaives said that based on the Department of Transportation and Communications' (DOTC) presentation, P0.77 in every peso ofthe planned hike would go to debt service, while only P0.10 would be allocatedfor service improvement in the form of capital expenditure. 

“If such is the case, even if the government succeeds in forcing commuters to foot the bill, there will be no major service improvements in the system sincemost of the proceeds from the proposed rate adjustments will go to settle anomalous debts, “ said PM spokesperson Wilson Fortaleza.

Based on the data that the PM said it obtained from the DOTC, 77 percent of MRT-3 finances would go to debt service in the form of equity rental payments to  private consortium Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC) and only 10 percent will go to capex.

In LRT lines 1 and 2, PM said that according to DOTC, debt payments will represent 5 percent "and this is mostly to service debts of line 2." 

"These debts came from the highly onerous build-lease and transfer (BLT) contract, which is very similar to the controversial IPP (independent power producers) in the power industry that contained sovereign guarantees," he added. 

Fortaleza said the BLT contract "is the main culprit here." However, he said "the government is not addressing this concern because it doesn’t want to antagonize the private sector, which is still its main partner under the PPP (private-public partnership) program." 

During the consultation on Thursday, DOTC officials discussed its "11+1" formula for the fare increase, whereby passengers will be charged P11 to boarda train plus P1 for every kilometer traveled.

This means the fare for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City or back would increase to P28 for stored value and single journey tickets, almost double the existing P15.

For Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1), fares would climb to P30 for single journey and P29 for stored value tickets from Roosvelt Avenue in Quezon City to Baclaran in Pasay City, up from the existing P20 fare.

For LRT 2, fares would rise to P24 for stored value and P25 for single journeytickets from Recto Avenue to Santolan Avenue, both higher than the existing P15.

DOTC said the planned fare hike is expected to raise an additional P2.06 billion, which the government can use “to enhance services at the rail lines by improving facilities and providing better maintenance works.”

In a position paper it resubmitted to DOTC on Thursday, PM urged the government to conduct "an honest-to-goodness inquiry into allegations that theprivate consortium MRTC and other parties have defrauded the government and the people under the BLT contract." 

"If such is proven, the group demands that the BLT contract is rescinded at nofurther cost to the government and any liabilities accrued from such onerous and fraudulent transactions should not be passed on to commuters," Fortaleza said.

12.

Take MRT, LRT, PNoy toldPosted by Online on Feb 5th, 2014

Manila, Philippines – Commuters yesterday dared President Aquino to try riding the Metro and Light Rail Transits (MRT-LRT) in going to his workplace before pushing for the dreaded fare hike in the urban mass transportation facilities.

Elvira Medina of the National Center for Commuter Safety and Protection (NCCSP) said the President should experience himself the long queuing at the train stations and theovercrowding aboard the trains.

“He should try riding the LRT and MRT first,” Medina said, reacting to the President’srecent pronouncement of pushing for the planned LRT-MRT fare hike.

“Why not alight from his limousine or sports car then fall in line to ride mass transportation systems to get to Malacanang for a change?” she added.

The commuters’ leader said Aquino needs to see the plight of the riding public before finally deciding if a fare hike is warranted considering the inconveniences they endure on a daily basis.

Medina reiterated the commuters’ call for government to improve the services of the LRT and MRT before adjusting fares. She said commuters would be willing to shell out more if riding the urban mass transit facilities is only convenient and safe.

“If he really believes that the people is his boss, he will listen to us. He will listen to the commuters, who turn the wheels of the economy,” she pointed out.

“LRT and MRT riders are already enduring the kind of service they get and still they will be charged more. The government doesn’t realize that it is in the losing end in this matter in terms of public opinion,” Medina added.

To recall, Aquino told television host Boy Abunda in an interview that the government will push through with its plan to reduce subsidy in the LRT and MRT facilities to channel funds to other social services.

Currently, passengers of LRT 1 and 2 should be charged P34.74 but passengers only pay an average of P14.28 while government shells out to pay the remaining P20.46 or 59 percent of the fare.

Similarly, passengers of MRT 3 should be charged P53.96 per trip but they are only charged an average of P12.40 while government pays the remaining P41.56, which translates to 77 percent of the fare. (Kris Bayos)