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Helen Flores - The Philippine Star
July 16, 2026 | 12:00am
Commuters wait for public transport along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on March 25.
Miguel De Guzman.
MANILA, Philippines — The government is studying fare hikes and subsidies, Malacañang said yesterday, as fuel prices surged anew amid renewed hostilities between the US and Iran.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Marcos has ordered Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez to look into these measures to ensure assistance to vulnerable sectors.
Castro, however, said there is a need to strike a balance between supporting the transport sector and keeping stable the prices of commodities.
“If fares increase, prices of commodities will definitely also rise,” she said when asked if the government would continue providing subsidies.
“What the President wants is for nobody to be left behind. Everyone needs to be helped in the correct manner, in the balanced manner,” she said.
Being considered is the appeal of transport group Pasang Masda for a P1 fare increase.
Marcos suspended the scheduled fare increase for several public utility vehicles last March to ease the burden of commuters.
In April, the government also rolled out cash assistance and fuel subsidies for PUV drivers nationwide alongside fare discounts.
The provisional fare hike initially approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board was supposed to take effect on March 19.
The fare hike was supposed to cover jeepneys, city and provincial buses, airport taxis, transport network vehicle services or TNVS and point-to-point or P2P buses.
