LTFRB promises faster rollout of fuel subsidies

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has promised to distribute fuel subsidies to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators more quickly for the second round of the program. 

“LTFRB is currently preparing all documentary requirements for the release of the second tranche,” LTFRB Executive Director Tina Cassion said in a message to reporters on Wednesday.

“LTFRB assures process of availment of the subsidy will be much faster for the second tranche as all the cards have already been produced by LBP (Land Bank of the Philippines) from the previous phases (for PUJ) and from tranche 1 (for other modes). Crediting to the account of the beneficiaries will be through a top-up method,” she added.

The LTFRB earlier said that the rollout of the second tranche of the fuel subsidy program, which started in March, would begin later this month or in early July.

Divided into two equal tranches, the government’s P5-billion fuel subsidy program aims to extend P6,500 cash grants to each of the 377,000 beneficiaries, including LTFRB-supervised PUV drivers and operators, tricycle drivers and operators under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and delivery riders under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

As of June 14, the LTFRB official said that out of the 264,578 LTFRB-supervised beneficiaries, 232,586 have already been credited by the Landbank with their P6,500 cash aid.

Cassion said the Landbank assured the remaining 31,992 LTFRB-supervised beneficiaries they would be credited with their subsidy by June 17.

For the delivery riders under the DTI, the LTFRB official said that out of the 27,777 total beneficiaries, 16,992 have been credited by the Landbank while the remaining 5,525 will be credited by June 17.

For tricycle drivers and operators, the processing of payrolls of 617,806 beneficiaries is ongoing, according to Cassion, adding that the allocation per beneficiary is P1,000. —VBL, GMA News