The government has allotted a total of P4 billion to provide fuel assistance to transport workers and farmers, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said yesterday.
In a statement, the DBM said the funds are charged against the regular budgets of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Agriculture under the 2023 General Appropriations Act.
“This administration will continue providing fuel subsidies to our kababayan, especially in the most vulnerable sectors — public transport and agriculture,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.
“We are banking on our transport and agriculture sector to boost economic recovery. And so we need to provide them the help and boost they need,” she added.
A total of P3 billion is appropriated in the 2023 national budget in the form of fuel vouchers to qualified public utility vehicle (PUV), taxi, tricycle and full-time ride-hailing and delivery services drivers nationwide.
The amount is P500 million higher than the P2.5 billion allocated in the 2022 budget’s fuel subsidy program.
This aims to cushion the impact of high oil prices on thousands of PUV drivers, the DBM said.
The program’s implementation is subject to guidelines issued by the DOTr, Department of Energy and the DBM. Beneficiaries will be validated and identified by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
Meanwhile, the remaining amount of P1 billion is appropriated to provide fuel assistance to farmers and fisherfolk.
The fuel subsidy shall benefit more than 312,000 farmers and fisherfolk with P3,000 per beneficiary to ensure unimpeded agricultural production and fishing operations.
