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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Poe: Sluggish gov't response has pushed transportation sector to the edge

Poe: Sluggish gov't response has pushed transportation sector to the edge

Published Jun 7, 2022 03:40 pm

Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday, June 7 said months of sluggish government response has pushed the oil-hit transportation sector to the edge.

Poe issued the statement as a number of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators are set to stage a widescale transportation strike should the problem on the rising prices of petroleum products not be sufficiently addressed.

The lady senator made an urgent call on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to vet, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to submit their respective lists of fuel subsidy recipients.

As of last update, LTFRB has managed to disburse fuel subsidies to around 250,000 out of 264,000 recipients. Meanwhile, the DILG has not yet even submitted a list of verified tricycle drivers and operators, Poe pointed out.

"It bears stressing that the increase in the prices of petroleum products has started in January while the government announced its plans to disburse fuel subsidies as early as February. Almost half of the year has gone by without sufficient relief. Umaasa tayo ng mas maagap na tugon mula sa pamahalaan (We had depended on an early response from the administration)," she said.

"We fought for a critical P2.5-billion fuel subsidy provision for PUVs in this year's budget," she added.

Poe lamented that that such amount has not been fully disbursed while the country deals with’’ a crisis of epic proportions is beyond comprehension.’’

"We also renew our call to the executive department, particularly to the Department of Finance (DOF), to suspend the excise tax on fuel and petroleum products for such time until the global market normalizes again. This representation has pushed for the same cause in the last Congress and will do so again in the future if necessary," she said.

"However, while the Legislature is on a break, the Executive department must alleviate the pain of our PUV drivers and operators. While it is true that failure to meet our revenue targets may have adverse effects on our country, so could a transportation strike which can paralyze operations in key areas and cost us much more," she added.

Related Tags

oil price hikes public transportation transport workers Grace Poe LTFRB
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