Temporary hike in pumpboat fare sanctioned by Marina
The sudden increase in the fare of pumpboats plying Iloilo City and Guimaras vice versa from Saturday until yesterday was authorized by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).
Marina’s Juliet Nacion said the increase was more of a “human consideration” among the passengers and the operators. The seating capacity of the pumpboat was reduced from 40 passengers to only 15-30 passengers because of strong waves.
In a regular trip with regular number of passengers, the pumpboat operator collects P480. They are only allowed to collect the same amount in single trip depending on the number of passengers allowed by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), said Nacion.
The increase was to enable the pumpboat operators to recover whatever expenses they incur during each trip. However, there are pumpboat crews who charged each passenger from P30 up to P40.
The increase on pumpboat fares came as a surprise to the passengers frequently traversing the Iloilo and Guimaras Strait. The charges were more than enough as what the Marina has verbally allowed the operators.
The PCG asked the pumpboat operators to downsize the number of passengers as precautionary measures because of strong waves brought by the moonsoon winds. The order was lifted Monday morning after the normal pumpboat operation resumed.