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Aprubado na ng Department of Transportation ang mga petisyon para sa taas-pasahe sa Line 1 at Line 2 ng Light Rail Transit.

Pero ayon kay Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, iniutos ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na ipagpaliban muna ito habang pinag-aaralan ang magiging epekto sa inflation.

"The instruction of the President is to reassess the date of implementation for us to be able to determine the impact on inflation, since inflation rate has also gone up in the last two months, we'll have to review this and discuss this with NEDA and we will report to you when will be the implementation," ani Bautista.

"But as far as the rate is concerned, it's already approved, but the implementation will be announced after we conferred with NEDA, and then we will refer this back to the board of LRTA… Siguro it will take a few months."

Tugon naman ng Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), na pribadong kumpanya na nag-o-operate ng LRT 1, ilang taon na silang naghihintay at kailangan nilang pondohan ang mga proyekto para sa improvement ng train system.

Ayon sa kompanya, nasa P2.4 billion ang fare deficit claim nito dahil 2015 pa ang huling taas-pasahe sa tren.

"We're duty-bound to improve the system and to run the system, so we're doing that. We can't afford to wait… We've been waiting for 6 years. It would be very hard, it would be very difficult. Everyone has gotten their fare increase. 'Yung iba kung hindi fare increase, nabigyan ng subsidy. It's the option we're waiting for if the government is not willing to allow the fare increase. Siguro 'yung subsidy, kasi 'yun naman din 'yung nasa kontrata namin. 'Yung fare deficit, 'yun sana ang bayaran," sabi ni Atty. Jhimmy Santiago, general counsel ng LRMC.

May plano naman ang Light Rail Transit Authority na nag-o-operate ng LRT 2 kung saan ilalaan ang kikitain sa taas-pasahe, na tinatayang aabot ng P114 million.

"'Yung allocation ng fare increase supposedly, 97% of that will go to operating expenses namin kasama ang maintenance. Around 3% pupunta sa common carriers tax kasi ina-assess kami ng tax as common carrier," sabi ni LRTA Administrator Hernando Cabrera.

Sa oras na maipatupad, madadagdagan ng P2.29 ang boarding fee, habang P0.21 ang idadagdag kada kilometro ng biyahe sa LRT 1 at 2.

Ibig sabihin, magiging P14 ang minimum na pasahe sa mga gumagamit ng stored value card o "beep card" sa naturang mga linya ng tren mula sa kasalukuyang P12 . Aakyat naman ang maximum fare sa LRT 1 mula sa kasalukuyang P29 sa P35, at sa LRT 2 ay mula P28 sa P33 kung naka-beep card.

Kung single journey ticket naman ang gamit, mananatili sa P15 ang minimum fare sa parehong LRT 1 at 2, habang magiging P35 ang maximum fare mula sa kasalukuyang P30 sa naturang mga linya.

"LRTA's deficit for the critical year 2023 is projected to be P8.5billion. It has been actually operating at a loss, and relying on government subsidies for its operations and maintenance as reflected in its financial performance in the critical year 2022, when it incurred a deficit of about P7.006 billion. On the part of LRMC, its fare deficit, vis-à-vis the national fare prescribed in its concession agreement with government is P1.46 billion, wherein the actual fare is P50 behind the notional fares," paliwanag ni Transportation Assistant Secretary Jorjette Aquino.

Samantala, hindi muna inaksyunan ng DOTr ang petisyon para sa taas-pasahe sa MRT 3, at pinagko-comply muna ito sa requirements.