Jeepney drivers start receiving P1 billion in fuel subsidies

More than 136,000 valid franchise holders of public utility jeepneys (PUJ) nationwide will receive a one-time fuel subsidy per vehicle to help them cope with soaring fuel prices, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday.

Using a P1-billion allocation from the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), the DOTr and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will start distributing “Pantawid Pasada Program” (PPP) fuel cards loaded with P7,200 credit to beneficiaries.

The DOTr said jeepney drivers can use the cards to purchase fuel only at participating petroleum retail outlets or gasoline stations.

Using the card to purchase other products aside from fuel “will automatically disqualify the card owner” from the program.

This was not the first time that the government offered fuel subsidies to distressed transport workers. The PPP program was initially implemented in 2018 and 2019 in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, LTFRB National Capital Region Director Zona Tamayo said the fuel subsidy would be directly distributed to the beneficiaries with valid and existing PPP cards issued by the Land Bank of the Philippines.

Some 85,000 beneficiaries have active PPP cards and can immediately redeem their fuel subsidy from branches of nine participating gas companies, Tamayo said.

Landbank has downloaded the fuel subsidy to the PPP cards of 78,000 beneficiaries as of Tuesday, she added.

For beneficiaries without PPP cards, the LTFRB said the fuel subsidy would be deposited to the beneficiaries’ Landbank accounts once opened.

Beneficiaries can then claim their PPP cards from designated Landbank branches.  (©Philippine Daily Inquirer 2021)