TAKING UP the cudgels for thousands of bus, jeepney, tricycle and other public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers nationwide, PASAHERO founders Allan Yap and Robert Nazal urge the Comelec to swiftly grant the request of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to exempt the distribution of fuel subsidy to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers from the election public spending ban. In their letter to Comelec Chair Saidamen Pangarungan, Nazal and Yap said the fuel subsidy was intended to aid PUV drivers who are still reeling from the effects of the almost 2-year lockdown and now pounded by the spiraling fuel prices resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
PASAHERO: Exempt fuel subsidy from poll spending ban
THE PASAHERO group urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to “promptly and favorably” act on the request of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to exempt the distribution of fuel subsidy to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers from the election public spending ban.
In a letter to Comelec Chair Saidamen Pangarungan dated April 5, 2022, PASAHERO said the exemption would pave the way for resumption of release of the much-needed cash subsidy to qualified beneficiaries.
“We humbly write on behalf of the thousands of bus, jeepney, tricycle and PUV drivers all over the country who are still reeling from the effects of the almost 2-year lockdown and now pounded by the spiraling fuel prices resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine,” PASAHERO stated in the letter signed by its founders Allan Yap and Robert Nazal.
According to reports, the LTFRB has temporarily halted the release of P6,500 fuel subsidy per beneficiary as a result of the election public spending ban which took effect last March 25, ahead of the upcoming national and local elections.
As of April 5, only about 110,200 out of the over 377,000 beneficiaries have received their ayuda.
The LTFRB has applied for exemption from such ban prior to March 25 and is still awaiting Comelec’s action on the matter.
“PASAHERO wholeheartedly supports the LTFRB’s application for exemption from the above-mentioned election public spending ban,” the partylist group said.
The PASAHERO group noted that these qualified drivers were “among those at the frontline in providing transportation to our commuters at the height of the pandemic and, in spite of the increased fuel prices, now continue to serve our pasaheros all over the country.”
“Thus, every day that the fuel subsidy is not released to the qualified drivers who rely on the government to grant this laudable palliative measure is an injustice we ought to spare them,” it pointed out.
According to PASAHERO, the least the government can do is to promptly resume the release of the fuel subsidies to these qualified drivers.
PASAHERO, also known as the Passengers and Riders Organization Inc., is a non-stock and non-profit organization that seeks to represent the riding public in road, sea, and air.
It likewise aims to address the various issues affecting the transportation industry and stakeholders in the country including the current issue of the temporary suspension of the release of the fuel subsidy to qualified driver beneficiaries.
