BY CRIS DIAZ
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: A lawmaker on Friday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expedite the release of P 2.5 billion fuel subsidy for the public transport sector to cushion the impact of the fuel price hike.
House Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said that the public transport sector made the call during the stakeholder’s meeting Thursday with the Land Transportation and Franchising Board (LTFRB-10) here.
He said that Congress allocated the amount of P 2.5 billion under the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA).The 2022 GAA provides for “financial assistance/fuel vouchers to qualified public utility vehicle (PUV), taxi, tricycle, and full-time ride-hailing and delivery services drivers nationwide as recommended by the LTFRB,” Rodriguez said.
During the public transport stakeholder’s meeting of the LTFRB-10 yesterday in Cagayan de Oro City, Rodriguez said that Congress allocated the said amount under the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA).Rodriguez appealed to the
DOTr and LTFRB] to release the P2.5 billion to “our drivers as soon as possible” considering the P10 increase in the prices of petroleum products this years.
Rodriguez cited the report of the Department of Energy (DOE) about the “year-to-date” adjustments of oil prices with a net increase of P7.95 per liter for gasoline, P10.20 per liter for diesel, and P9.10 per liter for kerosene.
“When prices of petroleum oil increase, it always follows that fares and prices of goods will also increase, affecting our consumers — an alarming condition for an economy like the Philippines, still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic,” Rodriguez said. -0-
