Several taxi drivers not included in fuel subsidy lists

Several taxi drivers seeking temporary relief from high fuel prices were not on the lists of recipients of the P5,000 subsidy. 

According to a "24 Oras" report by Oscar Oida on Friday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board noted that there were more drivers lining up who were not part of the list, which was why they decided to create two lines.

Drivers who were part of the list of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) would receive their payouts from the LTFRB, while those not included would get payouts from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

“Itong preliminary namin, talagang inaasa lang namin sa mga operator na bigyan kami mga listahan. Ang problema, yung listahan ng operator di kumpleto. Gusto namin kumpletong listahan ng driver niyo,” said LTFRB Chairman Vigor Mendoza.

(For the preliminary release, we are really just depending on the operator to give us a list. The problem is that the lists from the operators are incomplete. We want a complete list of drivers.)

“Pinapapasok ko na lahat agad yung nakapila sa labas, lalo na yung mga senior citizen natin, para makaupo naman, and LTFRB is going to provide mga tubig, the little things para kahit papaano maibsan yung pag-aantay nila,” added Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez.

(I immediately allowed those lining up outside to enter, especially our senior citizens, so that they can sit down and the LTFRB can provide them with water and the little things so that their waiting can be comfortable.)

Authorities assured that all legitimate taxi drivers would get a subsidy.

“Ang kailangan natin malaman kung sila ba ay driver, tapos kung sila ba ay taxi driver. Kailangan naming malaman diyan, may lisensya ba siya. We will make sure naman na we will be going to deliver what’s due to them and bibigyan natin sila ng subisidiya,” Lopez said.

(We need to find out if they are drivers and if they are taxi drivers. We need to know if they have licenses. We will make sure that we will deliver what’s due to them, and we will give them subsidies.)

Meanwhile, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said that it was “unfair" to social workers to be provided with lists full of errors and duplicates.

“Kami ang nabubulyawan sa labas samantalang di naman kami ang gumawa ng listahan. Pinangakuan kami ng clean list; pagdating namin sa labas, di pala clean list. It’s a junk list, and I use junk kasi basura yung sinubmit ng mga TNC (transportation network companies),” he said.

(We are the ones getting shouted at outside when we didn’t even make the list. We were promised a clean list, but when we go to the field, it turns out that it’s not a clean list. It’s a junk list, and I use junk because what was submitted by the TNCs is garbage.)

Gatchalian gave TNCs until Monday to provide a final clean list of names and said it is up to the DOTr to decide how to hold those who submitted lists with errors accountable. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA News