DAVAO CITY —- To cushion the impact of the rapid oil price hike among transport sector stakeholders, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has released the first tranche of its PHP2.5 billion fuel subsidy to public utility vehicle (PUV) beneficiaries through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
During the televised Talk to the People aired Wednesday, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade appealed to the transport operators and drivers not to push on the unregulated fare increase.
“Ang position namin, ‘wag kayong magtaas ng fare, tanggapin ‘yung ayuda, gamitin ‘yung subsidiya (Our position is do not impose a fare hike, accept the aid, and use the subsidy),” Tugade said.
Earlier on, the LTFRB in a statement said they started to rel4ease the PHP6,500 worth of fuel subsidy on Tuesday to drivers and operators of public utility jeepneys who are listed cardholders while bus operators are expected to receive their aid Wednesday.
LTFRB Executive Director Kristina Cassion added that the Landbank cards for the additional beneficiaries may be claimed next week.
She said even the tricycle operators who are not under the LTFRB will receive aid with the delivery beneficiaries after the official lists are completed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
However, some public transport operators insisted that the mounting fuel prices are still intolerable even with the subsidy.
Nida Saguilot, a public utility jeepney operator, said their drivers are still unable to cope with the previous hikes, yet another wave of big-time oil price hikes came on Tuesday.
“Sa pagtaas ng fuel parang ‘di sapat ‘yung PHP6,500 sa laki kasi ng itinaas (ng gasolina), isa pa lahat nagsi-taas ng presyo mga piyesa, petroleum etc. E kung ‘di itaas ang pamasahe paano na sure bababa rin ang boundary, e cost of living tumaas na rin (The PHP6,500 subsidy seems to be inadequate with the big-time oil price hike alongside the increased prices in mechanical parts, petroleum, etc. If there’s no fare hike, for sure the boundary will drop, but the cost of living continues to rise),” she said.
Tugade said the aid was only to mitigate the oil price hike impact for 29 to 18 days, if fuel prices are set to PHP60.62/liter to P75.59/liter, respectively.
“Aaminin ko ho na ‘yung ayudang ibinibigay natin ngayon ay hindi eksato todo-todo, kulang pa rin ho ‘yan, kailangang repasuhin, i-adjust, kaya nga mayroon tayong second tranche sa April. Ganun din ho ‘yung sistema ng distribution (I admit that this subsidy is not enough, it’s inadequate, there’s a need for review and adjustment, that’s why we have the second tranche in April using the similar system of distribution.)” he added.
Besides the fuel subsidy, Tugade also highlighted the advantages of the Service Contracting Program (SCP), stressing that this is very helpful to operators, drivers, and commuters amid the crisis. To note, the program has previously benefited 75,688,064 libreng sakay riders.
Under the General Appropriations Act of 2022, up to PHP7 billion has been allotted for the SCP, which aims to shoulder all operational expenses including fuel expenses.-With report from PNA
