Some 85,000 jeepney drivers may now withdraw their one-time fuel subsidy after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced it has transferred P560 million to the Land Bank of the Philippines.
Initially, only those with active Landbank account cards may avail of the P7,200 cash assistance as the state-owned bank is still churning out more than 50,000 additional debit cards to cover the rest of the targeted beneficiaries.
LTFRB-National Capital Region director and Legal Division head Zona Russet Tamayo made the announcement at the Laging Handa public briefing yesterda,y saying the one-time subsidy will benefit approximately 136,000 PUJ drivers who have been adversely affected by the steep increase in fuel cost.
Tamayo said the distribution of Pantawid Pasada Program cards was made as wide as possible via Landbank branches nationwide to ensure that no particular branch will be overwhelmed by crowds.
“Of the P1 billion budget allotted, we have released more than P560 million through Landbank. More than half of the budget has been credited to our beneficiaries when we launched the program last Wednesday,” she said.
Tamayo assured the PUJ drivers production of the rest of the PPP cards will be completed before the end of the month so that they can be distributed starting the first week of December.
She added PUJ drivers may only use the P7,200 subsidy to purchase fuel. She warned sanctions would be imposed on operators for any deviation from this policy.
