Group proposes ways to cut subsidy to MRT

THE GOVERNMENT should take “out of the box” steps to lower subsidies given to the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) line on Edsa, which costs over P5 billion a year in taxpayers’ money.

In a statement, concerned citizen group Subsidiarity Movement International said the new administration could consider ordering business and property developers to pay fees in exchange for the economic benefits that they enjoy for having the train line pass through their areas.

Subsidiarity Movement convenor Philip Camara said this would be in line with the administration’s “beneficiary pays” policy, wherein only those that gain from the existence of the train line are the ones that carry the burden of funding the said project.

“The critical role that a working mass transit system plays in urban development is obvious,” he said, noting that train lines allowed commuters to get from one point of the metropolis to another faster and more affordable than any other mode of transportation.

However, during peak hours, Camara said Metro Manila’s train lines were usually packed. “The long lines at times extend all the way to the street during rush hour in some stations,” he said.

He said this stressed the need to increase the MRT’s capacity. The MRT, which is designed to carry 350,000 people daily, carries half a million passengers every day.

“The government is hobbled in improving the mass transit rail system to any degree because each commuter is subsidized to the tune of up to P48 per trip,” he said.

Therefore, the more trains the government adds, the bigger the subsidy will be,” he said. By subsidizing MRT operations, even taxpayers who have never used the MRT are forced to foot the bill.

“We must include indirect but substantial beneficiaries such as developers and enterprises within the project impact area,” it said.

“The idea is for local government units that are traversed by the transport system and thereafter require redemption by the developers and business owners of these certificates as another requirement in the permitting process,” it added. Paolo Montecillo, Philippine Daily Inquirer