Bacolod drivers await fuel subsidy amid price surge

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Mayor Greg Gasataya has appealed to the Department of Social Welfare and Development to include 10,551 local drivers in the national fuel subsidy program and fast-track the release of assistance.

The move aims to ease the financial burden on the city’s transport sector amid rising fuel prices linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

The Philippines has rolled out fuel-related aid for transport workers as global oil price pressures continue to affect public utility drivers and other vulnerable sectors.

The list covers public utility jeepney and public utility vehicle drivers with active franchises, as well as transport network vehicle service drivers from platforms such as Grab, Maxim, inDrive, and JoyRide.

Drivers affiliated with companies such as J&T Express and modernized PUJs were also included after validation by their associations and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Negros Island Region.

Gasataya said even drivers who joined recent street protests were included, provided they passed validation.

He said the city will follow national guidelines for the distribution of subsidies once the DSWD completes its review.

Gasataya also appealed to the DSWD to extend support to traditional and modernized PUJ drivers who do not hold active franchises.

The city proposed their inclusion under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program to ensure that vulnerable transport workers are not left out.

Bacolod Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez recently met PUV drivers on the streets and provided them with fuel vouchers.

“I wanted to meet them and hear firsthand what they are going through, as they are among those most affected by rising fuel costs, yet continue to show up and do their work every day,” Benitez said.

More than 1,500 jeepney drivers in Bacolod received a PHP 1,000 fuel subsidy from Benitez beginning last month to help sustain the daily operations of various transport groups across the city.

Gasataya also urged the Department of Agriculture to include 410 Bacolod farmers in the national fuel subsidy program.

The farmers are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, and the city is pushing for financial assistance to help them sustain their livelihoods during the energy crisis.

The Department of Agriculture earlier said farmers and fishers would receive fuel subsidies to cushion the impact of higher fuel costs on agricultural production.

Meanwhile, the city government, in coordination with the DSWD, has distributed fuel subsidies to an additional 3,409 tricycle drivers after reviewing appeals from drivers excluded from the initial payout.

Department of Social Services and Development head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said all drivers who submitted appeals were accommodated and endorsed to the DSWD for validation and funding.

With the latest payout, the total number of tricycle drivers who received assistance has reached 13,026, including 9,617 beneficiaries from the first phase.

The DSWD continues to oversee document validation, finalize beneficiary lists, and lead distribution efforts in partnership with local offices such as the Public Employment Service Office.