Davao City multicab drivers protest exclusion from fuel subsidies

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Multicab drivers here have decried their exclusion from the government’s P1,000-per-month fuel-subsidy program.

“Over 3,000 drivers of multicab units in Davao City were not included in the government’s P1,000 monthly fuel subsidy,” Rogel Francisco, spokesman of the Alliance of Drivers and Operators against Multicab Phaseout (Adobamp), said.

Earlier, transport authorities announced that multicabs being used as passenger utility vehicles here would be phased out, along with older and dilapidated passenger jeepneys.

The decision was questioned by Adobamp and is still pending implementation.

Francisco said like other PUJ drivers, multicab drivers also wanted to be included in the fuel-subsidy program and were determined to question why they were not listed as beneficiaries.

“We are dismayed over the discrimination and utter lack of sensitivity of the government for excluding us from the allowance,” Francisco said.

He said they have been gathering signatures for a petition to the Department of Energy (DoE), “notwithstanding the fact that the P1,000 subsidy is not enough to cover for our lost income as a result of the recent oil price increases.”

He said multicab drivers “felt discriminated against” and neglected.

“It’s as if we are not affected by the impact of incessant increases of prices of petroleum products. Like other PUJ drivers, we also bear the brunt of such increase,” Francisco said.

The surging fuel prices, Francisco said, was also the reason they joined the campaign for the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law.

He said they would hold protest actions unless the government grants their petition.

“We will press the Aquino government to address our demands,” Francisco said.