DOTr: Operators of 119,000 PUVs get P774M cash aid

FILE – Traditional jeepney driver Michael Navarra ferries passengers to their respective destinations in Quezon City on Wednesday, July 29, as the LTFRB grants a go signal to 1,943 jeepneys to resume operations and ply 17 new routes in Metro Manila.-INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — Operators of more than 119,000 public utility vehicles (PUV) have already received financial aid under the Direct Cash Subsidy Program of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

According to the DOTr, this accounts for 88 percent of the total beneficiaries under the program.

DOTr said each operator received a P6,5000 cash subsidy, for a total of P774 million for all 119,000 operators since the cash assistance was distributed from November 16 until December 1.

“Talagang minadali ng ahensya ang pamimigay ng Direct Cash Subsidy para agaran makatanggap ng tulong ang mga operators nating lubhang apektado ang kabuhayan dulot ng pandemya,” LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III said in a statement on Thursday.

(The agency is fast-tracking the distribution of the Direct Cash Subsidy so that all operators whose livelihoods were affected due to the pandemic can receive aid.)

He said that the rest of the beneficiaries are expected to receive their cash subsidy this December.

The Direct Cash Subsidy is a program under the Bayanihan To Recover As One Act or Bayanihan 2 that aims to help operators who are having difficulty in recovering from income loss due to safety protocols implemented in public transportation amid the pandemic.

The DOTr said more than 178,000 PUV operators are expected to be given financial aid under the program, where each operator will receive P6,500 for every PUV unit under their franchise.

The LTFRB said that they have already listed the names of 155,000 operators who are sure to be provided the cash aid.

“Ang ilan dito ay sumasailalim na lamang sa mas malawakang data collection upang mabigyan ng Direct Cash Subsidy,” it added.

(Some of them are still undergoing extensive data collection to receive the direct cash subsidy.)

The beneficiaries of subsidy are operators of the following PUVs with fixed routes: public utility bus (PUB), point-to-point bus (P2P); public utility Jeepney (PUJ); mini-bus; UV express; and FilCab.

The distribution of the cash subsidy to operators is being conducted through any of the following methods:

– Deposited in the Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) Pantawid Pasada Program (PPP) Cash Cards

– For those without PPP cash cards, the amount is deposited in the beneficiary’s existing LBP account

– Deposited to existing bank account via PESONet and INSTAPay

– Over-the-counter withdrawal at LBP servicing branches

Zac Sarao, trainee

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