MANILA - A group of drivers from ride-hailing service Grab lodged a P5-million damage suit on Monday against PBA party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles, who criticized their P2 per-minute charge.

Regulators in April suspended Grab's extra charge scheme after Nograles accused the transport service of failing to inform riders about it. Grab last month was also ordered to pay P10 million in penalties and reimburse its passengers by way of rebates.

The suspension of the per-minute charge hurt drivers' earnings, making it difficult to settle payment for their vehicles, complainants told reporters after filing their lawsuit before the San Mateo, Rizal Regional Trial Court.

Grupo ng TNVS drivers, naghain ng P5 milyong damage suit laban kay PBA party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles | via @arraperezDZMM pic.twitter.com/sGgfeCn58u — DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) August 20, 2018

Since the suspension, drivers and operators supposedly earned only a net average of P655 per day from driving 17 to 18 hours, from P1,588 per day doing the same amount of work with the travel charge, a Grab representative earlier said.

Some 150 drivers were named complainants in the lawsuit.

Nograles said the suit is "nothing more than an act of desperation."

He also urged the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board o press Grab to pay the P10 million penalty.

The LTFRB in June secured "full authority" from the Department of Transportation to regulate ride-hailing companies and their partner drivers.

Grab has come under closer scrutiny from regulators since it took over the Southeast Asian operations of rival Uber in April.

Report from Arra Perez, ABS-CBN News