DILG to distribute P150M fuel subsidy for tricycle drivers

By DILG Office of Public Affairs
May 3, 2011

The Department of the Interior and Local Government is finalizing the list of tricycle franchisees nationwide to benefit from the P150 million earmarked by the government for its Pantawid Pasada program aimed to subsidize a portion of their average fuel consumption.

“We hope that through this program, we will somehow be able to help tricycle owners in bearing the brunt of the oil price increases,” said Secretary Jesse M. Robredo of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The DILG chief said that of the about 990,514 tricycle franchise owners who stand to benefit from the program, 27% or 268,949 are from Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) 22% or 221,392 are from Central Luzon, and 10.5% or 103,986 are from Metro Manila.

Under the program, each tricycle franchise owner shall receive a one-time gasoline subsidy of P150 per tricycle unit. The DILG on Friday released the implementing guidelines of the “Pantawid Pasada” program under the Public Transport Assistance Program (PTAP) of President Benigno S. Aquino III.

The guidelines were contained in a memorandum circular issued by the DILG Secretary to provincial governors, city and municipal mayors and the concerned officers of local legislative councils.

PTAP, which was created under Executive Order No. 32, s. 2011 issued by the Office of the President, is an urgent intervention aimed at cushioning the impact of high fuel prices on the marginalized sectors of society.

Under the guidelines, the concerned DILG regional office shall forge a memorandum of agreement with the concerned local chief executives who shall in turn cause the preparation and certification of the list of tricycle franchisees, addresses and number of operating tricycles.

The list shall serve as reference document in the computation of the subsidy by the DILG regional and field offices.

The guidelines also provide that the mayors shall set-up a PTAP Assistance and Complaint Desk to receive feedback and address the complaints of the beneficiaries, Robredo said.

Prior to the release of the subsidy, the mayors, in coordination with DILG field officials, are expected to conduct a local government-wide information drive, devise a system to effect an organized and orderly distribution of tricycle transport financial subsidy to the beneficiary-tricycle franchisees and ensure that only those included in the certified list shall benefit from the subsidy.

The DILG chief pointed out that it shall be the responsibility of the LGU concerned to strictly implement the provisions of the Executive Order, rules and regulations relative to the tricycle subsidy program.

“In case of any violation, the official authorizing the same shall be held responsible for whatever expenses the government incurred for not strictly following said issuances,” he stressed.