CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY , Philippines – Hundreds of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) operators have yet to receive their fuel subsidy from the government due to the problem of transfer of franchise documents, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-10 (LTFRB-10) said.
In the region, more than 3,000 PUJ operators are expected to receive the P5,000 assistance under the Department of Transportation’s Pantawid Pasada Program (PPP) which is being coursed through the LTFRB.
The assistance is given to them in the form of cash card which operators can use to avail of fuel at LTFRB-accredited gas stations.
But 30 percent or close to a thousand of those jeepney operators cannot claim the subsidy as the franchise permits of many of the PUJ units that were sold have not yet been transferred to the new owners, according to LTFRB-10 regional director Aminoden Guro,
The agency requires that only those operators whose name appeared on the franchise papers issued by LTFRB can avail of the fuel subsidy.
It turned out, he said, there are individuals who bought PUJ units but the name of the franchisee has remained that of the original owner.
Guro said many of the original PUJ operators are no longer living in the region, while others are physically incapacitated that they are unable to claim the cash card and make the fuel purchase.
He said this concern has already been reported to the LTFRB central office as he tries to help these new jeepney operators.
The transportation department and LTFRB are currently distributing the initial batch of the PPP fuel cards all over the country.
Around 179,000 valid PUJ franchise holders nationwide are beneficiaries of the government’s fuel assistance, and each of them will receive a PPP card containing P5,000 worth for this year.
Guro has warned that the PPP car is only valid for fuel purchases at participating refilling stations, and any violation of the use of the card, such as using it to but other products other than fuel, will automatically disqualify the beneficiary from the program and its benefits.
Next year PUJ operators are expected to receive an increased subsidy of P20,61.82 for the whole year from the government.(davaotoday.com)
