MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved a P10 per litre fuel subsidy for public utility vehicles (PUVS) to help transport workers mitigate the effects of the soaring fuel prices brought by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
In a video message released on Thursday (April 9), Marcos said the fuel subsidy for PUVs will be capped at 150 litres per week and implemented for three months.
This translates to a maximum savings of P1,500 per week, or P18,000 for the full three months of the implementation of the fuel subsidy programme.
According to Marcos, the fuel subsidy programme will be implemented next week, with the first recipients to be PUVs plying on major roads in Metro Manila starting on Commonwealth Avenue.
It will then be expanded “in the following days” to PUVs servicing the routes of Quezon Avenue, Alabang-Zapote Road, A. Bonifacio Avenue, Rizal Avenue and Marcos Highway, before being rolled out to other parts of the country.
Beneficiaries can only avail of the subsidised fuel prices in legitimate gasoline stations, approved and monitored by the Department of Energy.
“This is important because we are not only addressing transport costs. We are also preventing increases in the prices of food and other basic goods,” Marcos said.
Marcos’ announcement, however, did not specify which PUVs shall benefit from the fuel subsidy programme.
The fuel subsidy came following the fifth consecutive week that oil companies implemented double-digit hikes in the prices of liquid fuels.
Prices of diesel, which runs engines of most PUVs, already breached P170 per liter on Tuesday.
The government, through the Department of Transportation (DoTr) has also provided a one-time fuel subsidy, ranging from P1,500 to P10,000, to PUV drivers and operators.
This is in addition to the P5,000 cash relief assistance provided by the Department of Social Welfare for transport workers.
Meanwhile, in the same video message, Marcos said the DoTr will implement the PUV service contracting programme starting on April 15.
It will cover around 50,000 PUVs and 1,000 operators, and benefit up to 15 million passengers.
Under the scheme, drivers and operators of contracted PUVs shall be paid P40 to P100 per kilometre, on top of their regular income by servicing their routes.
“All participating PUVs will have GPS monitoring to ensure that actual trips are made, and services are properly delivered,” Marcos said.
Commuters who will avail the services of contracted PUVs shall also enjoy a 20-per cent discount on their fares.
The President did not specify which routes would be under the service contracting programme, but said it would be implemented nationwide.
“The selected routes are focused on areas connected to train lines and major bus routes to ensure travel is more organised, faster, and more reliable,” Marcos said.
“The service contracting programme will be implemented during off-peak hours to ensure that our fellow citizens can still find rides even outside rush hour,” he added. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
