‘Fare increase merits wage hike’
By Dennis Carcamo, The Philippine Star
March 21, 2012

MANILA, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines today urged the wage board to expedite the approval of the P90 daily basic pay to workers in Metro Manila amid the approved fare increase for passenger jeepneys.

Democrito Mendoza on Wednesday appealed to the government to facilitate the hearings and consultations on TUCP’s wage hike petition following the approval of the 50 centavos provisional fare increase in public utility jeepneys in Metro Manila and selected parts of the country.

“The new round of fare increase in public utility jeepneys will…cause further significant erosion of the purchasing power of the peso predicted since December 2011 to be at 42 percent and will trigger increases of basic commodities directly impacting millions of waged workers and their families,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza also said that there are “extra-ordinary situation and supervening events” that merit the across-the-board P90-increase in daily basic pay among workers in Metro Manila.”

On Tuesday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board granted the provisional fare hike of PUVs. The fare hike takes effect today. The LTFRB said it would recall the fare increase once the price of diesel rolls back to P45 per liter.

Oil firms, including Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum, Chevron Philippines, Total Philippines and Eastern Petroleum, jacked up pump prices yesterday.

The oil firms added 70 centavos per liter for premium gasoline and 60 centavos per liter of regular gasoline, diesel and kerosene.

Shell said the adjustment was implemented “to reflect the increase in international product prices.”

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