ILOILO CITY—Drivers and operators of public jeepneys in the city and province of Iloilo have started receiving a P6,500 fuel subsidy each from the government to cushion the impact of prohibitive fuel prices.
Raymundo “Boyet” Parcon, president of the Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (ICLAJODA), confirmed the distribution of fuel subsidies to almost 800 jeepney operators and drivers.
Drivers and operators started getting the cash aid from the government via the Pasada card, which can be withdrawn from the automated teller machines (ATMs) of LandBank of the Philippines.
“This is a big help to our drivers and operators,” Parcon told Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.
Despite the price roll back this week, the high cost of fuel the past several weeks has been dramatically affecting the drivers, especially since fares have not been adjusted to cope with the fuel price increase.
Parcon, who is also president of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC), assured there will be no jeepney strike in Iloilo.
In Negros Occidental and in Bacolod City, jeepney drivers and operators staged a two-day strike beginning Monday.
However, ICLAJODA has proposed to increase the minimum fare by P2.50. In a petition submitted to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-6), ICLAJODA is aiming for a minimum fare of P11.50 from the current fare of P9.00 for the first four kilometers.