1,000 De Oro jeepney operators, drivers unable to get fuel subsidies

FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL Out of 3,000 jeepney operators and drivers in Cagayan de Oro, at least 1,000 were unable to avail themselves of fuel subsidies. —JIGGER J. JERUSALEM

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Lapses in franchise documents are keeping hundreds of public utility jeepney (PUJ) operators from getting fuel subsidy from the government, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Of more than 3,000 PUJ operators seen to benefit from the P5,000 per vehicle fuel subsidy through the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Pantawid Pasada Program (PPP) here, close to 1,000 could not avail themselves of the subsidy because of problems in their franchise documents, said Aminoden Guro, LTFRB Northern Mindanao director.

Cash cards

Guro said many PUJs in the region were still registered to former owners and their franchises had not been transferred to those owning the vehicles now.

The P5,000 subsidy, which is being handled by the LTFRB, is being given through cash cards that operators or drivers could present to gas stations accredited by the LTFRB to get fuel discounts.

But only operators whose names appear on franchise papers were qualified to avail themselves of the fuel subsidy, according to Guro.

It turned out that many operators had bought old PUJ units but failed to update franchise papers to reflect the name of new owners.

Guro said many of the original PUJ operators had already left the region, while others were physically incapable of claiming cash cards on behalf of the PUJs’ new owners.

He said this concern had already been reported to the LTFRB central office as he tried to help the new PUJ operators.

179,000 beneficiaries

The DOTr and LTFRB are currently distributing the initial batch of fuel cards nationwide.

At least 179,000 PUJ franchise holders nationwide stood to benefit from the fuel subsidy with each supposed to receive P5,000 worth of fuel discounts.

Guro said fuel cards were valid only in gas stations accredited by the LTFRB for the program.

The cards, he said, could not be used to buy products other than fuel and irregularities in their use would lead to beneficiaries’ disqualification.

The government was expected to increase the amount of subsidy next year. —JIGGER J. JERUSALEM