Hicap, J. (2022).

The Muntinlupa City Council has approved an ordinance

granting the request of tricycle operators and drivers in the city to increase fare

by P1. In their regular session on March 14, councilors agreed to increase the

tricycle fare in Muntinlupa from the current P9 to P10 per person. Under the

ordinance, sponsored by Coun. Baldomero “Ting” Niefes, the tricycle fare will be

hiked to P10 per person for the first four kilometers and an additional P1 will be

imposed for every additional kilometer. The measure was approved to help

tricycle drivers in the city cope up with the oil price hike in the country brought

about by global effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month. The

Federation of Muntinlupa Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association

(FEDMUNTODA), the umbrella group representing different TODAs in the city,

earlier requested the city government’s Tricycle Regulatory Unit (TRU) and the

Muntinlupa City Council through the Committee on Transportation to increase the

fare per person from P9 to P10. Oil companies in the Philippines increased the

prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene due to increase in prices in world markets

amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said on

March 8 that even before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started, the

price of oil had been increasing due to lack of supply in the world market. Cusi

said the budget for the Pantawid Pasada Program, a subsidy program for public

utility drivers, will be increased from P2.5 billion to P5 billion. In an interview with
CNN’s “The Source,” Cusi said the Department of Energy is also looking at ways

to help tricycle drivers.

Muntinlupa City and the Municipality of Gubat has the same reason why

the government approved the request of operators and tricycle drivers. The main

reason of this motive is the oil price hike caused by the war between Russia and

Ukraine. On the other hand, the Municipality of Gubat approved a new fare

matrix which is Municipal Ordinance no. 2022-011. It is stated there that the fare

increased 40% added to the old fare which is 14 PHP per head. Moreover, there

has a 20% discount for all students, senior citizens, and PWD. On the other

hand, if the passenger requested a special trip to drop them at a particular

barangay, the said regulated fare is not applied. Commuters surely felt a relief

caused by this new fare matrix but tricycle drivers and operators are not because

of the poor source of income.