THE government will continue subsidizing Metro Rail Transit commuters at close to P48 each, based on the proposed 2011 General Appropriations Act, but will find ways to eventually reduce this amount, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said Sunday.
“The Transportation Department is now studying proposals on how to reduce the subsidy. There are two issues being raised,†he said.
“First, if commuters are willing to pay P20 to P30 for air-conditioned buses and other public utility vehicles, why can’t they pay the same for the MRT where they will not be bothered by traffic?
“The second issue is equity. Why should our taxpayers from the Visayas and Mindanao subsidize the fare of commuters in Metro Manila? All of these are being taken into consideration.â€
In a statement released Sunday, House Deputy Majority Leader Roman Romulo said the Aquino administration had asked for an MRT subsidy of P7.3 billion next year. That would be P2.2 billion or 43 percent more than the P5.1 billion subsidy to train riders this year
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