MANILA – Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Martin Delgra said Thursday that the P5,000 cash card for the Pantawid Pasada program was enough to pay for the fuel expenses of jeepney drivers.
“Insofar as the previous Pantawid Pasada program is concerned, inilaan nila nung pondo … 2011, P300 million. For this year, it’s more than three times as much, almost P1 billion,” Delgra said in an interview on GMA News’ “Unang Balita.”
“For next year, it’s going to be four times at much,” he said. “If we’re going to say pantawid tulong for the whole year, then I can say na probably kulang. Pero kung pantawid tulong for a certain period of time or for as long as that P5,000 will last, then I think it would be sufficient.”
The price per liter of diesel currently ranges from P41.70 to P51.83. This means that a P5,000 card can buy 96.46 to 121.65 liters. The cards are designed in such a way that driver beneficiaries cannot withdraw the money from automated teller machines (ATMs).
Delgra said the P5,000 was computed by the Department of Finance based on the increase in excise taxes on petroleum products under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.
Pantawid Pasada was launched in July as part of the government’s mitigating initiatives for poor families affected by tax reform.
Delgra said funding for the fuel subsidy program comes from tax revenue.
So far, only 1,192 cash cards have been distributed compared to 179,000 of legitimate transport franchise holders in the country.
Using the card is also problematic as only 1,117 gas stations have point of sales devices that accept Pantawid Pasada cards.
Delgra had said they would discuss with the Department of Energy the possibility of making it mandatory for all gas stations to participate in the program. (GMA News)
