CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DoE) in the Visayas has announced that holders of Pantawid Pasada cards here can start using their cards by end-June.

The cards contain P1,050 worth of “load,” which drivers can claim at accredited Pantawid Pasada gasoline stations. Under the government’s fuel subsidy program, the cards will be good for six months but jeepney drivers are urged not to discard them as these could still be used to enjoy loyalty promos, discounts and even Christmas gifts from participating oil companies. The fuel subsidy is government’s response to unabated price increases in fuel products.

DoE-Visayas field office information officer Lou Arciaga said the DoE central office is already in the process of loading the oil-subsidy cards for the first batch of beneficiaries who had obtained their cards last June 6 and 10.

To recall, DoE-Visayas along with the Region 7 offices of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) led the formal turnover of the Pantawid Pasada cards to jeepney operators in Central Visayas early this month.

Some 11,978 jeepney drivers in Central Visayas are going to benefit from the fuel subsidy program and 6,000 of these drivers are in Metro Cebu.

As of June 21, Arciaga said that over 2,000 cards were already distributed in Cebu, 450 in Bohol, 397 in Bais City and 27 in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.

She added that as soon as the cards are “loaded” with fuel credits, these can be loaded and used to immediately purchase fuel in most Caltex station while the DoE is finalizing agreements with other major oil players.

As aforementioned, the cards’ loaded amount are good for six months although there are benefits for keeping them up to five years.