MANILA – Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Wednesday confirmed there will be a public utility vehicle (PUV) fare hike, with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) set to complete its study within the week.
In a press conference in Malacañang, Lopez said the LTFRB is currently studying how much the fare hike would be for different types of PUVs. He noted that initial recommendations by transport groups were rejected by his office to ensure the fare hike is carefully studied before implementation.
“We have to treat this very carefully with an abundance of caution, imbes na makakatulong tayo sa mas nakakarami at sa lahat, baka mas makakadagdag tayo sa problema (we don’t want to create more problems instead of helping more people),” he said.
During the press conference, he also announced a PHP5,000 fuel subsidy for PUV drivers in Metro Manila that will be distributed beginning next week.
The subsidy distribution will begin with tricycle drivers, followed by jeepney, taxi, transport network vehicle service (TNVS) and bus drivers.
“Ang utos po sa atin ng ating Pangulo [Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.], huwag na nating hayaang mas lumala pa ang sitwasyon at kailangan ang whole-of-government approach at 'yan po ay ipinag-utos niya sa Office of the Executive Secretary kaya kami ay nagkaroon ng pagpupulong kanina (The President ordered us to not let the situation worsen and there should be a whole-of-government approach. That’s his order to the Office of the Executive Secretary, and that’s why we had a meeting earlier),” he said.
The DOTr and the LTFRB will work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and local government units in the distribution of fuel subsidies and verification of beneficiaries.
On the other hand, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured that there will be subsidies too for PUV drivers in provinces outside Metro Manila.
“Iki-kick off lang natin sa Metro Manila pero sunod-sunod na po 'yan, di na yan magtatagal. One after the other, mangyayari po yan tutal ang DSWD naman may nationwide offices kami who will do simultaneous payouts (We’re kicking off in Metro Manila, but this will be consecutive and it won’t take long. One after the other, it will happen since the DSWD has offices nationwide and we will do simultaneous payouts),” Gatchalian said.
The fare hike and fuel subsidies are part of the government’s response to rising oil prices across the world due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Last week, Marcos also ordered the government to shift to four-day workweeks and to implement other energy-saving mechanisms to help reduce the country’s energy demands. (PNA)