Senatorial candidate Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito on Tuesday urged the government to distribute the cash aid for tricycle and jeepney riders affected by the ongoing fuel crisis through the government’s National ID system.

Ejercito said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) should prioritize the registration of tricycle and jeepney drivers in the National ID System to ensure the efficient and faster distribution of financial assistance to affected drivers.

"Ang corruption at inefficiency ng distribusyon ng ayuda ay laging nauugnay sa totoong pagkakakilanlan ng mga beneficiary (Corruption and inefficiency of distribution of cash aid is always due to the identity of the beneficiary)," Ejercito said in a statement.

“Sa pamamagitan ng National ID system, mas mapapabilis natin ang pag-identify ng beneficiary sa ayuda (Through the National ID system, identifying the beneficiary would be faster),” he added.

To make the registration process more accessible, Ejercito said registration booths can be installed in malls, public markets, police stations, and municipal halls.

Once implemented, this move will prevent corruption and inefficiency in the distribution of cash aid.

“Para mas mapadali ang proseso, pwede pa ito i-transfer sa ATM card ng mga TODA at jeep driver, pwede sa LandBank (To expedite the process, the funds can be transferred to the ATM Card of the TODA and jeepney drivers, or thru LandBank),” he said.

The price of fuel has been rising rapidly across the country as a result of global oil price increases triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in recent weeks.

Last week, President Duterte approved several recommendations submitted by his economic team on measures that seek to cushion the impact of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the Philippine economy, especially on oil and food security.

But Ejercito said the transportation sector will continue to benefit from his proposal beyond the Russian-Ukraine crisis since there are many instances where the distribution of cash aid is needed.