STRICT VALIDATION: 8,000 to 10,000 PUV drivers in W. Visayas to get subsidies

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Only qualified and legitimate public utility vehicle drivers and operators will receive the government’s fuel subsidy and cash assistance as authorities enforce strict validation measures ahead of its rollout after Holy Week.

During a March 25 press conference, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Western Visayas said it is finalizing the list of beneficiaries, with an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 drivers and operators across the region expected to qualify based on initial data.

Neva Jane Alfaras, LTFRB-6 administrative officer V, said the agency is ensuring that submitted records are accurate before releasing the assistance.

“We are preparing the list of beneficiaries and making sure that the data submitted to us are correct. We are collecting the GCash and PayMaya accounts of eligible beneficiaries to ensure the subsidy is credited directly to them,” Alfaras said.

Land Transportation Office-6 consultant Atty. Salvador Altura Jr., also legal counsel and former officer-in-charge regional director of LTFRB-6, stressed that only drivers with valid professional driver’s licenses will be considered eligible as part of efforts to weed out unqualified applicants.

“The driver’s licenses submitted by individuals and operators are still being validated with the LTO to determine whether these are professional licenses. Those found without a valid license will not be entitled to the assistance and may also face disciplinary action, as only holders of professional licenses are authorized to operate public land transport,” Altura explained.

The fuel subsidy is part of the national government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport, or UPLIFT, framework launched under Executive Order No. 110, which declared a state of national energy emergency in response to the impact of the Middle East conflict on global fuel supply and prices.

The following fuel subsidies will be distributed by the LTFRB and the Department of Transportation: modern public utility jeepney operators will receive PHP 10,000 and drivers PHP 1,500; modern UV Express operators PHP 10,000 and drivers PHP 5,000; traditional public utility jeepney operators PHP 5,000 and drivers PHP 1,500; traditional utility vehicle operators PHP 5,000 and drivers PHP 5,000; public utility bus operators PHP 10,000 and drivers PHP 5,000; minibus operators PHP 9,000 and drivers PHP 5,000; school transport operators PHP 5,000 and drivers PHP 5,000; Transport Network Vehicle Service operators PHP 1,500; taxi operators PHP 2,000; and taxi drivers PHP 5,000.

Excluded from the program are tourist transport services, shuttle services, truck-for-hire units, and unauthorized or “colorum” vehicles.

In addition to the fuel subsidy, qualified drivers are also expected to receive separate cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with the same eligibility standards to be applied.

For transport units operating under cooperatives or corporations, the subsidy will be released to the registered entity, while qualified individual drivers will receive assistance directly.

Authorities said the strict validation aims to ensure that government aid reaches only lawful PUV operators and drivers while reinforcing compliance with transport regulations in the region.