Malacañang on Friday said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is set to prioritize buses as discussions on a possible fare hike continue.

Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said proposals to raise jeepney fares are considered premature based on reports from the LTFRB.

Castro noted that the P1 provisional fare increase granted to jeepney drivers in October 2023 was still sufficient to cover fuel costs despite nearly eight weeks of consecutive fuel price hikes.

“At ayon naman din po sa LTFRB, ang patungkol po sa hinihiling ng mga jeepney operators and drivers mukhang hindi pa po napapanahon, premature dahil po mayroon pong provisional fare increase sa halagang one peso,” the undersecretary said.

Instead, Castro said the LTFRB will first review bus fares, which have not been adjusted since 2022.

“Ang priority po ngayon ng LTFRB kung magkakaroon po ng fare hike ay ang mga buses dahil wala po silang temporary fare hike,” she added.

The statement came days after LTFRB Chairperson Vigor Mendoza II announced that hearings would be scheduled in the coming weeks to tackle fare adjustment petitions.

According to the agency’s report, the petition seeks a P2 increase in minimum fares, raising traditional jeepney fares from P13 to P15 and modern jeepney fares from P15 to P17.

“The arguments they raised in the petition are valid and really represent the realities on the ground for those in the transport sector,” Mendoza noted.

However, Castro said information relayed to Malacañang indicated that many of the concerns raised by operators were focused less on fare increases and more on the proliferation of colorum vehicles that affect drivers’ income.

“Ayon din po sa sinabi ni Chair Mendoza, ang hiling naman din po ng mga jeepney operators at mga jeepney drivers ay hindi particular na fare hike kundi para labanan iyong mga kolorum,” she said.

On 10 February, Mendoza issued a verbal warning to franchise applicants operating public utility vehicles despite pending applications with the LTFRB, describing such operations as colorum.

The warning followed an investigation into a delivery van illegally used as a passenger vehicle along the Alabang–Imus route.