LTFRB: Fuel subsidy distribution for PUV drivers starts Sept. 13

By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz

September 12, 2023, 5:57 pm

<p><strong>GAS UP.</strong> A gasoline station employee attends to a motorist and a motorcycle rider at a station along East Avenue in Quezon City on Sept. 11, 2023. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday (Sept. 12, 2023) said the distribution of the government’s fuel subsidy program to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles would start on Wednesday (Sept. 13). <em>(PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)</em></p>

GAS UP. A gasoline station employee attends to a motorist and a motorcycle rider at a station along East Avenue in Quezon City on Sept. 11, 2023. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday (Sept. 12, 2023) said the distribution of the government’s fuel subsidy program to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles would start on Wednesday (Sept. 13). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will begin distributing the government’s fuel subsidy program to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles (PUV) on Wednesday.

The target beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy program include operators of public utility jeepneys (PUJ), UV Express, minibuses, public utility buses (PUB), shuttle services, taxis, tourist transport services, school transport services, transportation network vehicle services, delivery services and tricycles.

“Operators of modern PUJs and UVEs who are qualified under the program will receive PHP10,000 as subsidy, while operators of other PUVs, whether modern or not, will each receive a PHP6,500 subsidy,” the LTFRB said in a statement Tuesday.

On the other hand, qualified delivery service riders will receive PHP1,200 from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) while tricycle drivers will receive PHP1,000 from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The details of the fuel subsidy program were laid out under Memorandum Circular No. 2023-038 or the “Guidelines on the Implementation of Fuel Subsidy Program.”

The LTFRB said the distribution follows the signing of the memorandum of agreement and Joint Memorandum Circular No. 02, series of 2023.

The agreement and memorandum were signed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), DICT, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), DILG, Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Energy (DOE), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the LTFRB.

LTFRB chair Teofilo Guadiz III said the fuel subsidy allocation is based on the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

“Pero nais ko pong linawin na pakikinabangan po ito ng lahat. Modern man o hindi. Consolidated man o hindi. Ang subsidiya na ito ay para po sa lahat ng ating mga operator na nahihirapan dahil sa sunod-sunod na pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo (But I would like to clarify that this is for every PUVs. Modern or not. Consolidated or not. This subsidy is for every operator that is suffering the brunt of the consecutive oil price hikes),” Guadiz said.

An estimated 1.36 million operators are expected to benefit from the fuel subsidy program, made up of around 280,000 PUVs, 930,000 tricycles and 150,000 delivery service units.

The subsidy will be distributed through digital banking with the Land Bank of the Philippines, other banks, e-wallet and fuel subsidy cards registered during the previous fuel subsidy program.

Qualified beneficiaries must have a PUV with a valid franchise currently registered with the LTFRB. (PNA)

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