Senator Risa Hontiveros has pressed the government to ensure that more public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and transport cooperatives—even those not considered “poorest of the poor”—will receive state emergency aid.

In a letter dated March 19, Hontiveros urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to clarify and detail how the P30-billion fund under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program can be repurposed and reach the hundreds of thousands of PUV drivers and transport cooperative members negatively impacted by the fuel crisis.

“We wrote to the DBM to ask and ensure the immediate delivery of assistance to PUV drivers and transport coop members from the P30 billion set aside for the transport sector,” Hontiveros said.

“Our drivers are struggling to earn a living and are already in debt, and the P1 fare hike has even been suspended. Let's not wait for the entire public transport system to be paralyzed before we help,” she said.

In her letter addressed to Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo, the senator emphasized that government assistance should be provided to PUV drivers of all classes, pointing out that “even those not currently classified under the poorest of the poor, require urgent supplemental income.”

She said an initial review indicates that current fuel prices force PUV drivers to incur a daily deficit of more than P1,000 per vehicle.

“This revenue gap persists even after accounting for the combined effects of the excise tax suspension and the current fuel subsidy,” she said.

Likewise, transport cooperatives should also receive financial support since they could no longer afford the cost of keeping full fleets travelling in their daily routes.

She noted that transport operations are running at levels far below normal capacity, while their drivers are travelling less or not at all.

“Right now, no aid will be channeled to transport cooperatives, which is why their drivers are left stranded, especially now that the fare hike has been postponed. We need to support them as transport service providers, not just as persons in a crisis situation,” she said.

“Without a clear mechanism to ensure DSWD support reaches them, we face a distressing paralysis of our public transport system,” she then stressed.

At the same time, Hontiveros called for support for the proposed P52.8-billion subsidy supplemental budget bill that calls for a P12-billion transport subsidy for PUV drivers, including delivery riders, and transport network vehicle service (TNVS) drivers.

The supplemental budget bill will also in part fund an expanded service contracting program under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

“We need to drastically expand the subsidies being provided to our kababayans in this difficult time,”

“Passing and finding funds for the supplemental budget is not impossible, so we must study it and work on it,” she said.