The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) 7 launched the "Lakbay Alalay ng Gobyerno" program on Monday, May 25, to subsidize ferry fare increases caused by fuel price hikes, although questions remain over its impact as some local operators have already lowered rates.
The agency allocated P200 million for the nationwide program, which will run from May 25 to June 7 in identified ports across the country.
Program Details
Marina 7 Director Ronaldo Bandalaria said the initiative was intended to cushion the impact on passengers after ferry operators raised fares due to fuel price spikes linked to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
"Yung Marina Layag or Lakbay Alalay ng Gobyerno program yan ay matuturing natin subsidy sa ating mananakay," said Bandalaria. "Ang estimated natin ay tatagal ang ating programa ng dalawang linggo."
In Central Visayas, the program covers two ports: Sta. Rosa Ferry Express in Lapu-Lapu City and Cuadro Alas Navigation Lines Inc. in the Municipality of Santander.
Subsidized Fares
Passengers traveling between Sta. Rosa, Olango Island, and Angasil, Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, will pay a subsidized fare of P50 instead of the regular P60 rate for fastcraft vessels.
One passenger told SunStar Cebu that fares have fluctuated since April, with the base fare rising from P40 to P50 before reaching P60 during the fuel price hikes. The fare later dropped to P55 before settling at P50. The passenger said his latest trip on Saturday, May 23, still cost P50.
Operator Compliance
Melda Sabanal, a cashier at the Sta. Rosa Ferry Express ticketing booth in Angasil Port, said fares for regular passengers remain at P50. She confirmed that rates previously climbed to P60 before dropping to P50, which is still P10 higher than the earlier P40 base fare. When asked whether fares should return to P40 because of the Marina 7 subsidy, Sabanal said the fare remains unchanged at P50. She added that as of 11 a.m. Monday, May 25, Marina 7 had yet to inform them of any subsidy implementation.
Validation and Next Steps
Bandalaria said the program took effect at 12 a.m. Monday and explained that the approved submissions used as the basis for the subsidy were anchored on the P60 fare level. He said operators qualified for the subsidy scheme using the submitted P60 rate and added that any reported fare reductions after the diesel price rollback would still undergo validation.
"Kung nagbaba na po sila that's another thing po," said Bandalaria. "We will discuss later."
As of press time, authorities were verifying whether operators had already reduced fares from the submitted P60 rate. Bandalaria said Marina 7 may conduct a review and coordination meeting with operators to determine whether further fare adjustments should be implemented based on current fuel prices.
