PUJ operators in NorMin have yet to receive their fuel subsidy
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – About half of the operators of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in the region have yet to receive the fuel subsidy intended for them and their drivers when it was introduced by the national government last year, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Region 10 (LTFRB-10) said Wednesday.
Among the issues raised by transport groups are the delay in the distribution of the cards and the legal documents required for operators to avail of the government’s fuel subsidy.
Northern Mindanao has more than 7,000 PUJs and about 50 percent of the operators have yet to avail of the “Pantawid Pasada,” the nationwide program launched by the Department of Transportation in August 2018 to help jeepney drivers and operators cope with the rising
cost of fuel.
LTFRB-10 regional director Aminoden Guro said they are exerting efforts to have the fuel subsidy cards given to all the operators the soonest possible time.
The agency has partnered with the Land Bank of the Philippines for the distribution of the cards to the operators, who are expected to give a share of the fuel allocation to their drivers.
Each card, specific only to a particular jeepney unit, contains PHP5,000 worth of fuel which can only be used by the PUJ operators and their drivers.
Also printed on the card is the name of franchise holder, plate number of the PUJ, region where the franchise was issued, and card number.
Recently, the National Confederation of Transport Union (NCTU) regional chapter raised their concern to the LTFRB-10 that some of their members have not received their cards.
NCTU in Northern Mindanao has around 5,000 members.
In a meeting with NCTU regional coordinator Joel Gabatan on June 25, Guro explained the release of the cards is done by batches and that some of the NCTU members are in the fourth batch.
In an interview Wednesday, Gabatan said another issue that they want the LTFRB to look into is the policy of requiring old owners of PUJs to sign a special power of attorney (SPA) that will allow the new owners to avail of the fuel subsidy card.