“People want to see big, escapist fare. They don’t want to be challenged to think.” –Harvey Weinstein
Jeepney operators in Iloilo City need to stop acting like spoiled brats and consider the P0.50 fare hike being proposed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). The increase would assess P0.50 for the first five kilometers in the Western Visayas and Negros Occidental, with an additional P1.50 for every succeeding kilometer – the current P6.50 fare would become P7.00.
However, the Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (ICLAJODA) and the Panay chapter of Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) are not satisfied.
They expressed their stance during a March 13 public hearing at the LTFRB-Region VI (LTFRB-6) office in Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro district and demanded another 50 centavos or one peso.
Inspire
They were probably inspired by the one peso fare hikes in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog.
While they are likely aiming for a “uniform” increase, Iloilo City is not Metro Manila.
The LTFRB proposal was done following studying the impact of fare hike on the local economy and, as operators should be reminded, most in the local community are parents.
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Following the rapid development of the countryside, international gatherings like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting, can now be held in the Visayas and Mindanao. Imperial Manila can no longer claim exclusive domain over hosting international events.
Some of the world’s top hotel conglomerates have expanded into the countryside, generating employment opportunities for locals and helping spruce up the local economy.
In as far as investment and tourism are concerned, this is a sort of renaissance for the hitherto “promdi” territories, which have been perpetually neglected and underestimated by past administrations following the EDSA Revolution./WDJ