Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista have agreed to help expedite the distribution of fuel subsidies to thousands of tricycle drivers nationwide.
The two met on Friday, December 9, to discuss the concerns of thousands of tricycle drivers who have yet to receive their share of the P2.5-billion government’s subsidy for them.
Cayetano had raised the issue during Bautista’s confirmation hearing last Wednesday, December 7.
According to the senator, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) chief discussed how the subsidies could be immediately implemented to assist the tricycle driver sector that is also affected by high fuel prices, inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cayetano said Bautista agreed that the distribution of the cash grants could be done through the local government units (LGUs) which also have their own list of tricycle driver beneficiaries in their respective areas.
During Bautista’s confirmation hearing, the senator pointed out that only around 6,000 tricycle drivers nationwide had received their subsidy.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) had said that 600,000 tricycle drivers are qualified to be beneficiaries of the cash aid.
Cayetano urged Bautista to bring his expertise as an executive in the private sector to the government to bring about reforms not just in the transport sector, but in the country’s transportation system as a whole.