Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos cancels a planned transport fare increase, ordering free rides and discounts to ease commuter burdens amid Middle East conflict.

MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos has reversed a planned public transportation fare hike in the Philippines, ordering free rides and discounts instead to shield commuters from economic pressures linked to the Middle East conflict.

The president stated that the timing was inappropriate for raising fares on the populace, directly citing the ongoing war as the reason for his intervention.

His directive orders the transportation department to launch free rides nationwide alongside discounts for light rail systems and toll roads.

The fare increase, announced just a day earlier by the country’s transport regulator, would have seen jeepney fares rise by about 8%.

In response to the presidential order, the transportation department confirmed it would suspend the implemented hikes while preparing the new assistance programmes.

Mody Floranda, president of a local jeepney drivers’ union, expressed dismay at the sudden reversal.

“We are dismayed that the president of our country had ruthlessly recalled what his government has granted to us,” he told AFP.

The Philippines has been implementing various measures to cope with soaring prices since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which impacts its crude oil imports.

These measures have included a four-day workweek for civil servants, cash handouts for tricycle drivers, and discussions by the nation’s sole refinery to purchase Russian oil.

 The Sun Malaysia