Gov’t expands cash assistance to PUV drivers outside NCR
The government is expanding its subsidy assistance to include public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers operating outside the National Capital Region (NCR) who are reeling from runaway fuel prices caused by the Middle East conflict, President Marcos announced on his latest vlog on Sunday.
The one-time payouts composed of P5,000 in cash aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), plus an additional P5,000 fuel subsidy for traditional jeepneys or P10,000 for modern jeepneys from the Department of Transportation, will start on April 6, right after Holy Week.
“We understand the cries of our fellow citizens who are protesting… but I want to assure you once again, you will not be left behind; the government will not abandon you,” the President said.
The nationwide cash aid rollout was announced ahead of another double-digit price increase set to be implemented by local oil companies on Tuesday, with diesel expected to hit P120 per liter.
Payout schedule
The next batches of transport workers in NCR will receive the P5,000 cash assistance this week, starting with 27,635 transport network vehicle services (TNVS) drivers on March 24, followed by 21,700 passenger jeepney drivers on March 25.
Next in line are 137,700 delivery riders on March 26 and March 27, with 27,600 motorcycle taxi drivers scheduled to receive theirs on March 28.
The DSWD asked beneficiaries to wait for an announcement from their respective local government units about the other details, including the payout sites and documents they would need to present.
Tricycle drivers were the first to receive the cash subsidy on March 17.
‘Transport holiday’
Meanwhile, other transport groups will conduct a nationwide one-day “transport holiday” on March 23, as they called on Mr. Marcos to offer concrete solutions and not just empty assurances.
Leading the protest are the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (Acto) and the National Federation of Transport Cooperatives (NFTC) which represent 86 percent or 165,334 out of the 191,730 PUVs that have taken part in the government’s Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).
“We cannot operate our vehicles anymore,” Acto national president Libay de Luna said on dzBB on Sunday. “So on Monday, we’ll observe a nationwide transport holiday. We will not go out and service our routes and there won’t be any disturbances.”
“This is to show President Marcos that we are truly struggling because of the very high prices of fuel,” she added.
In a statement, NFTC said that unlike the two-day transport strike last week by Piston, Manibela and Laban TNVS, the transport holiday will be peaceful. There will be no roadblocks or mass protests as its members will just stop operating, it added.
De Luna said among their demands are for the government to expedite the distribution of cash assistance and fuel subsidy to drivers and operators, including those outside NCR.
They also urged the President to implement the fare increases which he ordered suspended last week and to impose a moratorium on their loan obligations with state-run banks under the PTMP. —WITH A REPORT FROM PNA
