Poe urges release of gov’t subsidies to cushion impact of rising prices

Senator Grace Poe on Monday said she would request concerned government agencies to immediately release the guidelines needed to provide subsidies to poor families and low-wage earners.

Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, said she would send the request to the Finance, Transportation, Energy, Labor, Social Welfare, and Education departments. The social mitigating measures are mandated under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.

During the panel’s hearing in Albay last week, the Transport department admitted that they have yet to finalize the guidelines for the fuel voucher assistance to jeepney drivers, which should be distributed to 179,000 jeepney franchise holders.

READ: Poe wonders: Where are fuel vouchers for PUJs?

Of the 10 million low-income households qualified to receive cash assistance, only 4.4 million families have been given financial subsidies, according to reports.

“Poor families, students, drivers, commuters and others are already feeling the effects of increasing prices of fuel, commodities, and services. Kailangan ng tamang ayuda para sa ating mga kababayan na nararapat at naaayon sa batas (We need to give proper assistance to those who need it, as provided by law),” Poe said in a statement.

Under Section 82 of the Train Law, jeepney franchise holders are entitled to fuel vouchers while minimum-wage earners and the poorest 50 percent of the population are qualified for fare discounts, rice discounts and free skills training. Some 10 million low-income households will also each receive a cash assistance of P200 per month this year, and P300 per month in 2019 and 2020.

Poe further said in Filipino that the subsidies must be distributed immediately to help cushion the impact of rising prices of commodities brought about by the tax increase.

Earlier, the Department of Economic Research of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said it projects the May inflation rate to continue increasing between the 4.6 to 5.4 percent range. /ee

READ: May inflation may have spiked to as high as 5.4% — BSP economists