As oil prices once again hit $100 per barrel amid the tension between the United States and Iran.
According to the national government, they are now preparing to implement a new round of fuel assistance under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Program.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said farmers and fisherfolk are the initial targets of the fresh UPLIFT assistance, citing how the big chunk of the expensea of farmers and fisherfolk are allocated to fuel for their palay harvesters and motorized boats.
“Ngayon ay harvest season ng ating mga palay. Makakatulong ito sa bawas gastos. Lalo na kung ginagamit nila iyong combined harvesters. At ganoon din sa ating mga mangingisda. Alam natin malaking bahagi ng gastusin nila ay ang ginagamit na krudo o fuel sa mga bangkang de motor,” De Mesa said.
“Naging epektibo dati iyong pagbibigay ng libreng toll doon sa ating mga biyahero. Isa iyan sa magandang pangyayari sa mga nakalipas na pagtaas ng (presyo) ng produktong petrolyo,” he added.
At present, the government is also considering restoring toll waivers for vehicles transporting agricultural products from Northern Luzon and Southern Luzon to Metro Manila.
“At mayroon ng mga aksyon na ibalik itong libreng toll. Lalo na sa mga major tolls going in and out of Metro Manila, from south to north, hanggang doon sa iba pang mga links, skyways, toll areas. Up to P150 million iyong naibibigay na additional na libre para sa ating mga biyahero,” De Mesa said.
TRANSPORTATION
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is currently reviewing the inclusion of other modes of public transport in the fuel subsidy now enjoyed by PUJs and UV express.
“Kailangang balansehin para hindi maka-apekto sa pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin lalo na sa inflation. We really need to have a careful balance,” Secretary Giovanni Lopez told.
Meanwhile, he also mentioned that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is also holding consultations on fare-hike petitions—weighing on the issues and concerns of the operators, drivers, and commuters.
“Pagdating po sa ating fare hike po, ito po ‘yung sinasabi ko parati na at this point in time po, pinipiga pa rin natin ang gobyerno. Kung anong pwede nating ibigay na inisyatibo, subsidiya,” he said, noting plans to expand the said assistance to other modes.
He also stressed that given the August inflation rate is standing at 6.1, any fare hike will also result to higher costs in services and goods.
“So, we’re trying to say po, sasaluhin po ito ng gobyerno, pipigain natin hanggang sa kaya natin, mga subsidiya, mga iba’t ibang inisyatibo. Ongoing naman po lahat ang DOTr initiatives at sana maging last resort po ‘yung pagbibigay natin ng fare hike. It’s just a matter of time po,” Lopez added.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Commission on Elections approved the exemption of the fuel discount program for public utility vehicles worth PHP12 per liter amid the ban on such assistance ahead of the Barangay at Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) this November.
It has already resumed in participating gasoline stations nationwide last Monday, September 21.
UPLIFT MEETING
According to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, during the UPLIFT meeting last week with Acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, officials discussed providing targeted subsidies for transport groups through Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).
Also, among the updated DOTr initiatives on the fuel price hike are the grant of subsidy to drivers and operators, toll exemption for provincial buses, and extended PITX terminal fee waiver for PUVs until the end of the year.
That is in addition to the monthly terminal fee waiver in 86 SM public transport terminals nationwide, a 50-percent discount on MRT-3, LRT-2, and the PHP1 Ro-Ro terminal fee, and the Libreng Sakay program involving various government agencies.
As for the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) and economic team’s recommendation to suspend the oil excise tax, Castro said the recommendation may be forwarded to the President “most probably by this week.”
