HIGHER PUMP PRICES Fuel prices are affecting drivers and operators, prompting the transport sector to seek government intervention. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Around 115,000 public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators have so far received the government’s fuel subsidy to help cope with the increasing prices of fuel, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said Wednesday.
The government has allocated P2.5 billion for the fuel subsidy, which will benefit a total of 377,000 PUV drivers and operators.
The subsidy was coursed through the Landbank of the Philippines.
“Mula nang tayo’y magsimulang magbigay ng fuel subsidy ng March 15, umabot na sa around 115,000 na beneficiaries po ng fuel subsidy ang naipamahagi na natin,” LTFRB regional director Zona Russet Tamayo said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
(Since we started distributing the funds on March 15, we have distributed to around 115,000 beneficiaries.)
The LTFRB and the Land Bank are currently processing the subsidies for transport network vehicle service and UV express drivers, which Tamayo said is expected to be distributed by next week.
She pointed out that for tricycle drivers, it would be the local government units that would be in charge of the distribution.
On the part of the LTFRB, Tamayo said the agency is coordinating with the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the list of tricycle drivers. Jericho Zafra, INQUIRER.net intern
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