(Eagle News) — The government would again be able to distribute P500 monthly fuel subsidies after the Commission on Elections granted the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) petition to exempt the fuel subsidy program from the cash disbursement ban.
Comelec announced its decision on Wednesday, April 6, while saying that the resolution on this will be issued later this week – on Thursday or Friday.
“We granted the petition of the LTFRB as regards to the fuel subsidy program,” Commissioner George Erwin Garcia said in a press briefing on Wednesday, April 6.
“Definitely, we will issue the resolution containing the instruction. We know that Filipinos are waiting for this. The Comelec is not the commission that will prevent a very good project like this but we just want to make sure it is properly implemented,” he said.
“At least, this is (a) notice to the LTFRB and the different departments that they can now prepare the plan on how to properly implement the fuel subsidy, including the list of the beneficiaries,” he said.
The LTFRB stopped the fuel subsidy distribution as the Comelec’s spending ban related to the May 9 elections took effect last March 25. The ban was supposed to run until May 8.
But Comelec commissioner Garcia said that the poll body’s grant of the LTFRB petition would be “subject to the strict implementation of the program, resubmission of information on how the project will be implemented” among others.
The Comelec specifically also wanted to know the parameters in specifying the target beneficiaries “on how they will apply to avail of the grants of the program, and likewise subject to submission of the different departments that would be implementing the said program of the LTFRB — from the Department of Agriculture to the [Department of Social Welfare and Development] and such other departments.”
The Philippine government has set aside P2.5 billion for fuel subsidy that will benefit some 377,000 public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers, to help them amid the continuing fuel price hike largely due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
President Rodrigo Duterte has already ordered the distribution of a P500 monthly subsidy, from the previous P200 subsidy, after criticism that the earlier amount is “too measly” and not enough to help poor Filipino families.
“So I hope that this would go a long way really to help,” he said last month.
The cash aid will be given on top of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) conditional cash grant of up to PHP3,450 per month.
The 4Ps conditional cash grant is composed of a PHP750 health and nutrition grant, educational grants for a maximum of three children per household – PHP700 for senior high school, PHP500 for junior high school, PHP300 for elementary, and a PHP600 rice subsidy.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson Martin Andanar said the amount is what the government can afford as of now.
(Eagle News Service)