MANILA – Malacañang on Monday said it may not be possible to suspend the scheduled fare hike for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) as the government is obligated to honor its contract with the railway’s operator.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the fare increase was stipulated in a long-standing agreement, which the government is required to follow.
“Gustuhin po natin man ‘no, gustuhin po ng administrasyon na ito po ay hindi muna maituloy pero iyan po kasi ang nakasaad sa kontrata (We would have wanted to delay this, but I’m afraid that’s what the contract states),” Castro said.
Castro explained that the fare hike was originally planned much earlier, but was postponed to benefit commuters.
“Kung hindi po ako nagkakamali, nabanggit po ito na matagal na po dapat nagtaas ng presyo pero hino-hold po ito para po sa ating mga commuters (If I’m not mistaken, it was mentioned that the price should have been increased a long time ago, but it was being held off for the welfare of our commuters),” she explained.
The Palace official also cautioned that failing to implement the hike as outlined in the contract could lead to greater complications for the public in the long run.
“Pero tingnan din po natin ang sitwasyon kapag kasama po kasi ito sa kontrata at hindi po itinupad or natupad ng gobyerno ay mas magkakaroon po nang malaking problema ang ating mga commuters (But let’s also look at the situation because if this is included in the contract and the government does not fulfill it, our commuters will have even bigger problems) in the future,” she said.
Starting April 2, the maximum fare for a single journey ticket in LRT-1 will increase from PHP45 to PHP55, while the minimum fare will rise from PHP15 to PHP20.
Meanwhile, the maximum fare for a stored value card will go up from PHP43 to PHP52, while the minimum fare will increase from PHP15 to PHP16.