Motorcycle taxi riders line up at dawn for ₱5,000 fuel subsidy

Motorcycle taxi riders in Metro Manila lined up as early as dawn to claim the government’s ₱5,000 fuel subsidy, but some went home empty-handed due to listing and scheduling issues.

According to a "24 Oras" Weekend report by Bea Pinlac, among those in line was Maverick, a rider who arrived with his seven-month pregnant wife.

He said he had been unable to work for nearly three months after an accident and did not expect he would still qualify for the subsidy.

“Malaking tulong din po ‘yung ₱5,000 sa amin. Kaya sabi ko, kahit ano, titiisin ko—kahit mag-saklay ako o maglakad ng malayo, pipilitin ko po,” he said.

(The ₱5,000 is a big help for us. I’m willing to endure anything—even if I have to use crutches or walk a long distance.)

Several riders said they went to the payout site straight after hours of work to avoid long queues.

“Baka marami nang tao. Maghihintay pa ako sa init ng araw. Siyempre, puyat ka na, maghihintay ka pa,” one rider said.

(There may already be lots of people and we may have to wait under the heat of the sun. Of course, it's doubly hard that you’re already sleep-deprived, and you still have to wait.)

Despite the assistance, riders said most of their earnings are still spent on fuel.

“‘Yung kinikita naming araw-araw na biyahe, napupunta lang sa gasolina. Kung tatagal pa ‘tong ganitong problema, hindi po talaga sasapat,” Maverick said.

(Most of what we earn from our daily trips just goes to fuel. If this problem continues, even this aid would not really be enough.)

The government is now studying the possibility of increasing funds to support public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and riders.

"We are now submitting a supplemental budget to increase the fuel subsidy fund and the service contracting fund,” said lawyer Vigor Mendoza, chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

However, not all riders were able to receive the subsidy. Some said they were tagged as delivery riders whose payout schedules had already lapsed.

“Wala naman pala akong mapapala sa oras na pinag-antay ko nang ganito kahaba. Akala ko tutulungan ako, parang pinahirapan pa nila ako ngayon,” one rider said.

(It turns out I gained nothing from waiting this long. I thought they would help me, but it feels like they only made things harder for me.)

According to the LTFRB, some riders are listed both as motorcycle taxi and delivery drivers, but can only appear once in the database.

"There are duplications because some riders have two jobs, but their names can only appear once and they cannot receive aid twice," Mendoza said.

He said special payout days will be arranged for those who missed their schedules or were not included in the list. Still, some riders said they have yet to receive clear guidance.

The LTFRB admitted it faces challenges in building a complete database of eligible beneficiaries.

“There is no master list of drivers. The list from the original source is incomplete. This is an opportunity for us to create a central database and update it regularly,” Mendoza said.—MCG, GMA Integrated News