The government should subsidize local truckers just like public utility drivers and operators to cushion the effects of rising oil and petroleum prices, the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) maintained.
Other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) subsidize their trucking industry, recognizing it as a vital part of the logistics chain, CTAP President Maria Zapata pointed out.
Already, the government has released P75 million in fuel subsidies to 115,000 public utility drivers and operators.
Problem is, truckers have been left out because trucking in the Philippines is treated as a commercial activity and not as a public utility.
To ease the impact of runaway oil prices, CTAP had to adjust its trucking freight rates by 30 percent
Their trucking freight rate hike was reasonable because oil prices have more than doubled compared to last year, she underscored.
Fuel accounts for 40 to 60 percent of expenses in the trucking business.
Last month, oil companies hiked pump prices, with gasoline increasing by much as P3 per liter and diesel by P4.10 per liter.
Adjustments stood at a net increase of P15.45 per liter for gasoline, P27.35 per liter for diesel, and P21.55 per liter for kerosene as of April 19, 2022.
Domestic pump prices have been on an uptrend in 13 out of the past 16 weeks due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, along with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in China which have driven demand.
So far, CTAP submitted a list of their members as well as the number of trucks they operate to the Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) according to the association president.
"But we know that this is not up to the DTI, they are just the facilitator. The decision is with the Department of Energy," Zapata conceded.