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A Facebook post claims the Philippines has approved raising the minimum fare for ‘jeepney’ minibuses by a third. But the two government bodies that review and approve fare increases told AFP that they have not approved any such fare hike. Jeepney operators said fares had not been increased. This widely shared Facebook post has a photograph of a jeepney minibus -- a key form of public transport in the country -- with a headline saying: 12 pesos jeepney fare already implemented! The Facebook post claims that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board -- which has the power to approve fare hikes -- had approved the measure. The LTFRB said a fare increase to 12 pesos -- about 22 US cents -- has not been approved. No, not true, board member Aileen Lizada told AFP when asked about the claim that jeepney minibus fares would rise to 12 pesos. Lizada said the board was still consulting with the National Economic Development Authority on the social impact of a proposed fare increase. The board’s chairman Martin Delgra told AFP that while they had the authority to approve proposed hikes alone, in practice, they always consulted with NEDA. Given impact of transport cost on inflation, among others, it is wise and prudent to seek comment from them, Delgra said. The NEDA secretary Ernesto Pernia told AFP the agency was still reviewing the fare increase proposal and had not made a decision on whether to approve it. Zenaida Maranan, president of the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines also told AFP that fares had not yet been increased to 12 pesos. A one peso fare increase was approved in July, taking the minimum Jeepney fare to nine pesos . The Facebook post has been shared nearly 500 times to Facebook groups with more than 800,000 followers.
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