MANILA -- Three oil firms have agreed to give a discount of PHP1 per liter of liquid fuels to public utility vehicles (PUVs), as they signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday.
The provision of the discount would take effect in the coming days, depending on the decisions of Shell, Petron, and Phoenix Petroleum.
In a press conference held at the DOE's office in Taguig City, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the energy department had requested oil firms to provide fuel discounts to PUVs as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
"The discount would help lessen the impact of TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law and the oil price increase. We hope that with this special discount to PUVs, there would be no need for the bus/jeepney operators to ask for a fare hike," he said.
Cusi added that by making this a part of the oil firms' CSR programs, the DOE hopes to help maximize the benefit of having a higher take-home pay for lower and middle-class income taxpayers.
Meanwhile, also part of the agreement signed by the three oil firms is to provide a designated lane for PUVs.
They also agreed to provide other promotional offers to PUV drivers.
The DOE said its agreement with the oil firms would also expand their existing discount offers for public utility jeepneys, as the agreement has included the increase in the number of participating retail stations, as well as including other types of PUVs like taxis. (PNA)
