By Aerol John Pateña/ PNA
MANILA — The government has increased the fuel subsidies for public utility vehicle operators and drivers under the Pantawid Pasada Program (PPP) of the national government to PHP20,514 this year, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Tuesday.
“The PPP is one of the government’s flagship social mitigation measures which provides fuel subsidy in the form of fuel cards amounting to PHP5,000 for 2018 and PHP20,514 for 2019. The program is funded by the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law,” the LTFRB said in a statement.
Under the program, fuel subsidy cards are distributed to around 180,000 jeepney operators and drivers in the country.
The LTFRB also reminded legitimate franchise holders of public utility jeepneys to claim their fuel voucher cards until February 28 at its offices across the country.
The PPP which was launched on July last year seeks to mitigate the impact of fuel price increases due to the imposition of excise taxes under the TRAIN law and movement of petroleum prices in the world market.
The Board said it will accept a notarized Special Power of Attorney (SPA) which can be downloaded from the agency’s website or acquired from their nearest LTFRB office for beneficiaries who cannot personally claim their cards.
Representatives can bring the notarized SPA to their respective LTFRB offices together with the original and photocopy of ID of qualified franchise holder; original and photocopy of ID of representative; original official receipt/ certificate of registration (OR/CR); original copy of certificate of public convenience (CPC) or proof of franchise; and recent photo of qualified franchise holder.
Jeepney operators and drivers in Metro Manila may claim their fuel subsidy cards at the central office of the Land Transportation Office at East Avenue, Quezon City from February 26 to 28 while those in the provinces may contact the nearest regional and franchising regulatory offices of the LTFRB in their areas.
A total of 88,209 fuel subsidy cards were already distributed to beneficiaries from July 17, 2018 to Feb. 24, 2019 based on data from the LTFRB.
