A youth group on Monday asked the Department of Transportation and Communication to order the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Railway Transit (LRT) to provide discounts to students to ease their financial burdens.
In a statement, National Youth Commission (NYC) chairperson Leon Flores III said, “Kung ang senior citizens nga may discount, bakit hindi ang mga estudyante?"
Most students who take the train to school subsist on a daily allowance of P100, of which 50 percent goes to transportation alone, according to a recent NYC survey. The study also reported that most respondents see an LRT and MRT student discount as beneficial to them.
“Para sa isang estudyante, malaking bagay na ang P50. Ang discount na maibibigay ng LRT at MRT ay pwede na naming idagdag sa pambili ng pagkain o iba pang kailangan sa eskwela," said student Ayna Ramos in the NYC statement.
“Marami sa mga estudyante natin ang hindi nakakapasok at napipilitang umabsent sa eskwela dahil wala, o kulang ang pamasahe. Ang iba napipilitang mag-dropout, ang iba napipilitang mag-part-time job para madagdagan ang allowance," Flores added.
At a hearing at the House of Representatives late last month, Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) corporate secretary Hernando Cabrera said the LRTA will not implement LRT and MRT fare hikes in the first few days of the new school year. Cabrera said this will help parents cope with school expenses.
The LRTA official however said a fare hike is inevitable.
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In an interview with the GMA News TV public service program “On Call," Transportation Undersecretary Dante Velasco explained the rationale for a fare hike. — Paterno Esmaquel II/VS,
