Ocho-ocho fare starts today

We pay P1 more in jeepney/multicab/tricycle fares today.

This, after the provisional fare hike of P1 in the minimum jeepney fare was approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Monday, and after a slew of similar increases in fares in MRT and LRT, as well as toll fees in Metro Manila. It is no surprise, President NoyNoy Aquino is being named “the fare hike president”.

Fare increases on public transport are never welcomed by public commuters. I have a personal grudge against tricycle drivers in Tagbilaran City, especially. (And don’t even mention taxi drivers.) Don’t get me wrong, I love Tagbilaran tricycles and the biblical sayings in their tooshies. But those rickety three-wheeler drivers bottlenecking the entrances of BQ Mall, ICM, UB, etc. and charging unsuspecting passengers with absurdly exorbitant fares? It’s so easy to detest them to pieces.

Fixed rate rides are more agreeable. This morning, I rode a multicab from Marcela to Island City Mall. The konduktor asked for our plete (fare) in advance, and as one handed his P7, the konduktor said, “Ocho na ra ba plete ron, bai.” (The fare’s now P8.)

Surprisingly, no one really budged, considering that this fare hike news came out just two days ago. I myself, only heard about this yesterday. And I was thinking, “Oh, that’s today. Okay.”

And it’s just P1 more, right? But then, the next thing we know, other industries will be clamoring for price increase in their goods and services as well. Some would just do so directly, without notice. Domino effect, they’ll say. It has to be, many will insist.

Meanwhile, calls for wage hike increases (and even the simple  implementation of minimum wage) are perpetually shunned.

It would even be simplistic to say that bringing back government control and regulation of the oil industry in the Philippines and removing the eVAT on petroleum products would be the ultimate solution, because there’s still a higher power, that is the international oil industry and a whole other arena of struggle. (But I do think that taking out the VAT on petrol could help bring down the prices and must be done, fast.)

But the government better watch out. The people all over are restless. One peso might be small, but many one peso-s go a long way.