Solon to MRT, LRT: Improve your services

A LEGISLATOR from the Bicol Region has said commuter train operators in Metro Manila should first improve their services before increasing fares.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund

Villafuerte in a statement said he is “hoping against hope that with barely a month to go before the scheduled rate adjustments at the three rail networks in Metro Manila, our transport officials will find it in their hearts before August to defer anew the fare increase.

Villafuerte appealed anew to President Marcos to suspend the fare increase set by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), respectively, for LRT Lines 1 and 2 (LRT-1 and LRT-2) and for MRT Line 3 (MRT-3)—in the same way that the Chief Executive ordered Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista to defer the plan when Bautista conflict of interest would be to contravene

PAO’s principal duty and leave hundreds of poor litigants unassisted by legal counsel they cannot otherwise afford,” the SC said.

The High Tribunal reminded the PAO of its primordial mandate to “extend free legal assistance to indigent persons in criminal, civil, labor, administrative and other quasi-judicial cases.”

“To turn away indigent litigants and bar them from availing of the services of all PAO lawyers nationwide due to alleged conflict of interest would be to contravene PAO’s principal duty and leave hundreds of poor litigants unassisted by legal counsel they cannot otherwise afford,” it added.

The questioned provision sought to be deleted by PAO states: “A conflict of interest of any of the lawyers of the Public Attorney’s Office incident to services rendered for the Office shall be imputed only to the said lawyer and the law-

First Before Raising Fares

broached this subject in April.

He pointed out that officials at the Department of Transportation (DOTr), LRTA and MRTC were “pulling the cart ahead of the horse in stressing that adjusting rates is necessary for Metro rail lines to boost revenue so they can spend more on improving the service for commuters, because the much better alternative is for them to first improve their train services before demanding higher fares from the riding public.”

Villafuerte said it was possible for transportation offi cials to defer the fare increase plan and look for other sources of funding for the scheduled maintenance and improvement of the railway systems.

The rail systems were set to impose a 20 percent fare increase starting August 2. Maricel V. Cruz

Make Baclaran Church a heritage site—Jinggoy

SENATOR Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada wants to declare the 65-year-old Baclaran Church in Parañaque City which is visited by thousands of devotees notably on Wednesdays as heritage site and tourist attraction.

Estrada said the Baclaran Church, also called the Redemptorist Church, was also known as the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and one of the most popular churches in the Philippines.

“It is considered one of the largest Marian churches in the country, attracting a multitude of devotees as well as tourists,” Estrada said.

“Wednesdays are acknowledged as ‘Baclaran Day’ by many Filipino Catholic families and visited by thousands of pilgrims, as much as 150,000 devotees from all walks of life, every week,” said Estrada, himself a known Baclaran Church devotee.

The senator has filed Senate Bill No. 2278 to have the Church and its surroundings declared a heritage site and tourist destination.

With the declaration, Estrada said there will be an institutionalized policy that will preserve its historical and sociocultural importance, ensuring the accessibility, convenience, and security of its numerous visitors through the construction, installation, and maintenance of appropriate facilities and infrastructure in the area.

Under the measure, the Department of Tourism (DOT), in coordination with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the local government of Parañaque, and other relevant agencies, will develop a tourism development plan for the site.

This plan will include the construction, installation, and maintenance of suitable facilities and infrastructure to enhance the overall features of the surroundings of Baclaran Church, while also ensuring accessibility and the security of tourists. Macon Ramos-Araneta yer’s direct supervisor. Such conflict of interest shall not disqualify the rest of the lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office from representing the affected client, upon full disclosure to the latter and written informed consent.”

The SC likewise directed Acosta “to show cause why she should not be cited in indirect contempt for her social media posts and newspaper publications which tended, directly or indirectly, to impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice” and characterized her resort to social and print media to air her unfounded grievances against the SC as a threat to the independence of the judiciary.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he had misgivings about PAO’s position on the matter.

“Personally, I believe the PAO is a service. It is not strictly a law office. The conflict of interest frame of mind showed by PAO is strictly for law office which is not