PASAHERO wants tricycle drivers included in govt’s fuel subsidy program
THE PASAHERO is urging the government to expand fuel assistance to public utility vehicles to include tricycle drivers, saying the “tatlong gulong” sector also deserves financial aid amid the recent increases in oil prices.
“We don’t see any reason why tricycle drivers are not included in the government’s fuel subsidy program because they, too, need financial support to cope with the rising oil prices amid a raging pandemic,” said PASAHERO party-list founder Robert Nazal.
Nazal said that tricycle drivers also badly need government support given their experience during the pandemic where they suffered a triple whammy of impacts.
“Humina ang kanilang pasada, tumaas ang presyo ng langis pero wala silang natanggap na ayuda mula sa national government, at sa kabila nito hindi naman tumaas ang kanilang pasahe,” Nazal lamented.
PASAHERO co-founder Allan Yap said that while the partylist group supports calls to immediately distribute cash subsidies to public transport drivers funded by the 2022 national budget, “tricycle drivers should not be left behind.”
“It is time that we give fuel subsidy to tricycle drivers not only because they badly needed it, but also as a token for their service during this pandemic where they serve as the primary mode of transport for many of our kababayans,” Yap said.
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, including tricycle operators and drivers all over the Philippines. It aims to address the issues brought about by the mass transportation crisis in the country.
The Commission on Elections has declared PASAHERO as among the party-list groups eligible to participate in the May 2022 general elections.
PASAHERO has been endorsed by various federations of tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODA) in Luzon, including the 150,000-strong NCR TODA Coalition and the Panlalawigan Pederasyon ng Bulacan, which is comprised of 24 city and municipal TODAs in the province with around 103,000 members.
