Lacson: Ensure tricycle drivers will get fuel subsidy, too

CASTILLEJOS, Zambales—  Presidential candidate and Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday said he would seek clarification from the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Transportation on its guidelines about the inclusion of tricycle drivers in the government’s fuel subsidy program.

The lawmaker made the remark as he noted in a town hall meeting that tricycle drivers were not covered by the financial assistance to public utility vehicle drivers under the Bayanihan To Recover As One Law (Bayanihan 2).

“Ngayon nagpalabas na sila ng P5 billion para tugunan ang pangangailangan at panggastos ng driver sa panggasolina. Ito na naman baka hindi na naman kayo maisama,” he said.

(The government will release P5 billion so they could help the drivers with their needs amid the rise in fuel prices. We are afraid that tricycle drivers will not be included in the assistance program again.)

The lawmaker said Congress has oversight functions and they could flag slow or wrong implementation of laws or government programs.

He cited as an example the Commission on Audit report which showed that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has only used 1% of the P5.58 billion funds for PUV drivers’ financial assistance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ang gagawin namin pagka nagkaroon ng session ipapatawag namin ang DBM, ipapatawag namin ang DOTr, tatanungin namin bakit hindi niyo sinasama ang mga tricycle drivers e parehas lang naman ng kita ‘di ba… kung nasama ang mga tricycle drivers, e di nagamit ang pondo,” Lacson pointed out.

(What we will do once we conduct a session is we will call on the DBM and the DOTr so we could ask them why the tricycle drivers are not included in the program.)

“So, ‘wag muna natin pag-usapan kapag kami nanalo, matagal pa ‘yon. Ang pag-usapan natin ano ang pwede nating gawin ngayon,” he added.

(Let’s not talk about what can we do if we win. We should talk about what we can do now.)—LDF, GMA News