A commuters group has kicked off protests against planned fare hikes on the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit.
According to Radio DZMM, the series of protests will be led by the Riles Laan sa Sambayanan (RILES) Network. The group is protesting public consultations to raise fares on Metro rails, a move that President Benigno Aquino III mentioned in his State of the Nation Address last month.
RILES held protests at the MRT North Avenue Station, LRT-1 Monumento Station, and LRT-2 Santolan Station, the report said.
The government subsidizes part of the cost of riding the MRT and LRT while commuters pay a maximu of P15 to travel from end to end of the train lines. Aquino said rail prices should at least be equal to bus fare. He added it is unfair for taxpayers outside Metro Manila to subsidize the fares of metro commuters.
The report quotes RILES spokesperson Sammy Malunes as saying government wants commuters to shoulder debt incurred by Metro Rail Transit Corp. which runs the trains.
Similar protests are set for August 12 and 16.
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Photo: RILES Network Facebook page
