Senator Gatchalian Urges Government to Provide Fuel Subsidy for Jeepney Drivers
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is seeking fuel subsidy for the jeepney drivers in the country following seven consecutive weeks of oil price hike.
The lawmaker urging the government to provide a fuel subsidy for the jeepney drivers. The senator wishes to revive the Pantawid Pasada program to help the transportation sector amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Gatchalian cited the continuous surge of oil prices for seven consecutive weeks, which contribute to the hardship of the Filipino drivers who rely on petroleum products to earn a living.
“I call on the government to protect our drivers and passengers. This is where the Pantawid Pasada program will come in. It is funded by the government to lessen the impact of the increase in oil prices,” Gatchalian said.
The politician also asked the Department of Energy to monitor the oil companies to ensure that they were complying with the inventory requirements. He said that it could help mitigate the upcoming pump price hike.
This week, gasoline stations have implement another oil price increase and impose an addition P1.30 per liter of gasoline, P1.50 per liter of diesel and P1.45 per liter of kerosene.
The senator said that the government had to allocate at least P914.16 million to cover the three-month subsidy of the estimated 178,244 valid franchise holders of public utility jeepneys in the Philippines.
“Our situation can worsen because apart from the winter season, many economies around the world are gradually opening up and using more and more oil. We expect fuel prices to continue to increase in the global market until the end of the year,” Gatchalian added.
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