PUV fuel discount raised to P12/liter, says Recto

Public utility vehicles (PUV) operators and drivers can avail of a higher fuel discount beginning August 15, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Wednesday.

This is a P2/liter increase from the current P10/liter subsidy, which benefited more than 93,000 PUV operators and drivers amid the fuel crisis caused by Middle East tensions.

“Gaya ng inaasahan, patuloy na nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan ang epekto ng kaguluhan sa Gitnang Silangan. Dapat tuloy ang trabaho, tuloy ang ayuda, at ramdam ng bawat sektor ang presensya at malasakit ng gobyerno,” Recto said in a Facebook post.

(Like what was expected, our citizens continue to feel the effects of the Middle East conflict. Work will continue, and so will the aid, and every sector will feel the government’s care.)

The Office of the Executive said that this increase could save PUV operators and drivers as much as P1,800 per week.

The increased discount was decided during a meeting led by Recto together with other members of the Cabinet on Tuesday in Malacañang Palace.

The Cabinet members had discussed what other measures the government could take to protect the economy and mitigate the price of goods.

Present during the meeting were Budget Secretary Kim de Leon, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Health Secretary Jose Pujalte Jr., and Agriculture Undersecretary Roger Navarro.

The past few weeks have seen big-time fuel hikes due to reignited tensions between the United States and Iran, with Tehran leveraging its hold over the Strait of Hormuz—a vital passageway where 20% of the world’s oil would pass through.

Recto has also directed the Department of Social Welfare and Development to ensure continued implementation of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program.

The UPLIFT program is the government’s comprehensive relief program for Filipinos in need who have been impacted by the Middle East crisis. —Jean Mangaluz/AOL, GMA News