Militant, labor, commuter groups ask SC to stop MRT, LRT fare hikes

Workers hold a rally in front of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 North Avenue Station in Quezon City on Monday (Jan. 5, 2015) to express opposition to fare increases of the MRT and Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2. (PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.)

MANILA — Militant, labor and commuter groups on Monday filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to stop the implementation of fare increases at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 (LRT-1 and LRT-2).

MRT-3 stretches from EDSA-Taft Avenue, Pasay City to North Avenue, Quezon City; LRT-1 stretches from Baclaran, Paranaque City to Roosevelt, Quezon City and LRT-2 passes through from Recto, Manila to Santolan, Pasig City.

The petitioners are the militant Bayan group, including the labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and the Riles Network commuter groups.

In their 58-page petition for certiorari, the petitioners asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the implementation of the order of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) allowing the fare increases at the LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT-3.

The petitioners also asked the SC to declare such DOTC order as “illegal and unconstitutional”.

They argued that the assailed DOTC order violates the “Public Service Act” and the “Rules of Court” because of the failure of the DOTC to conduct a public hearing where the basis of the fare hike and how the computation was made which should have been presented first.

They further argued that the DOTC committed grave abuse of discretion and its order was “invalid” because it was not published in a newspaper of general circulation or official gazette and without the benefit of a public hearing.