SC on gritty start

Train fares, budget, power rates hike, prisons, Erap, DAP petitions on
by Rey G. Panaligan & Genalyn D. Kabiling
January 11, 2015
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The Supreme Court (SC) buckles down to work tomorrow after the long Yuletide recess, addressing a number of
controversial petitions including questions on the constitutionality of the new train fares, the 2015 national budget, the
electricity rate increase, and the transfer of high-profile inmates at the national penitentiary.
Mondays and Wednesdays are devoted to division sessions that tackle the not so controversial cases. Tuesdays
are for full court sessions where big and controversial cases are lodged like petitions against the constitutionality of
an order, resolution, or policy issued by the government and its agencies.
On Tuesday, on top of the agenda in the SCs full court session are the petitions against the alleged
unconstitutionality of the fare increases on all train lines in Metro Manila, the 2015 national budget, the electricity rate
increase, and the transfer of so-called high-profile prisoners from the National Bilibid Prisons (NBP) to the detention
cell of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila.
The Office of the President (OP) had declared it will not roll back the fare increases in the Light Rail Transit (LRT)
Lines 1 and 2, and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 despite the oppositions and rallies done by commuters and
clamors from some members of Congress and non-government organizations since the increases were implemented
last January 4.
Four petitions have so far been filed against the fare increases in the LRT and MRT. All the petitions sought the
issuance of an injunctive relief from the SC to roll back the fares to the level before January