By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senator Grace Poe on Thursday criticized the supposed delay in the release of the fuel subsidy for jeepney drivers and operators to cushion the effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.
Senator Grace Poe
(Senate of the Philippines official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Poe lamented that only a third, or P345 million, of the P977 million budget this year for fuel subsidy have so far been distributed by the government as part of the mitigating measures of the tax reform program. "Matatapos na ang taon pero tila kulang na kulang pa rin ang ayudang ibinibigay ng gobyerno sa mga tsuper. Bagamat bumababa na ngayon ang presyo ng petrolyo, ang laki na ng nalugi sa kanila dahil sa sunod-sunod na pagtaas nung nakaraan (The year is ending but the government has not yet fully extended assistance to drivers. While prices of petroleum products have already declined, the deficit in their profits remain high due to the series of increases in the past)," Poe said in a statement. "Dapat naman sanang ibigay na ‘yan nang wala nang kondisyon dahil kasama ‘yan sa batas (That should be given immediately and without condition, because it is provided by law)," she stressed. Poe, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services reiterated her call after learning from the Senate debates on the proposed 2019 budget of the Department of Transportation this week, that only 69,065 "Pantawid Pasada" cards worth P5,000 of fuel have been distributed to drivers and operators, out of a total of 171,836 expected recipients.
Senator Grace Poe(Senate of the Philippines official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Poe lamented that only a third, or P345 million, of the P977 million budget this year for fuel subsidy have so far been distributed by the government as part of the mitigating measures of the tax reform program. "Matatapos na ang taon pero tila kulang na kulang pa rin ang ayudang ibinibigay ng gobyerno sa mga tsuper. Bagamat bumababa na ngayon ang presyo ng petrolyo, ang laki na ng nalugi sa kanila dahil sa sunod-sunod na pagtaas nung nakaraan (The year is ending but the government has not yet fully extended assistance to drivers. While prices of petroleum products have already declined, the deficit in their profits remain high due to the series of increases in the past)," Poe said in a statement. "Dapat naman sanang ibigay na ‘yan nang wala nang kondisyon dahil kasama ‘yan sa batas (That should be given immediately and without condition, because it is provided by law)," she stressed. Poe, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services reiterated her call after learning from the Senate debates on the proposed 2019 budget of the Department of Transportation this week, that only 69,065 "Pantawid Pasada" cards worth P5,000 of fuel have been distributed to drivers and operators, out of a total of 171,836 expected recipients.