The government will begin distributing fuel subsidies to transport workers outside Metro Manila after Holy Week as it expands assistance to ease the impact of rising oil prices, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the next phase of payouts will cover drivers in the regions following the initial rollout in Metro Manila.
“Atin din pong nadinig si Secretary Rex Gatchalian na after Holy Week ay masisimulan po ang pagbibigay naman po ng ayuda sa labas po ng Metro Manila,” Castro said during a Palace press briefing.
She said the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Transportation, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board are still finalizing beneficiary records to ensure proper distribution.
The government has already started releasing fuel subsidies to nearly 139,000 tricycle drivers in Metro Manila. The next batch will cover 261,156 transport workers in the capital region, including TNVS drivers, motorcycle taxi riders, bus drivers, and jeepney operators.
Authorities expect the expansion to benefit transport workers in key urban centers outside Metro Manila, including Cebu, where rising fuel costs have also affected public transport operations.
Castro said the fuel subsidy forms part of a broader set of measures ordered by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to address the effects of global oil price increases.
The Department of Agriculture will also provide fuel assistance to more than 26,000 farmers and a similar number of fisherfolk. Farmers will receive an additional P2,000 under the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program.
The government is also preparing to distribute 10 kilos of rice every other month to middle-class workers and vulnerable families through the Local Government Support Fund.
Castro added that the administration is pushing for a measure granting the President emergency powers to suspend or reduce excise taxes on fuel.
“Alam po ng Kongreso kung paano po gustong mapaaga ng Pangulo ang pagsasabatas… para po mabawasan, matanggal ang excise tax lalung-lalo na po sa panahon ngayon,” she said. (LLP)
