MANILA, Philippines — A group of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers in San Juan City expressed apprehension over the possibility that they will not receive the fuel subsidy the government will release soon.
Rolando Miguel Carrasco, who heads the San Juan-Kalentong-Little Baguio Drivers and Operators Association, told The STAR only PUV operators are likely to benefit from the subsidy if the government pushes through with releasing the money to operators instead of directly giving it to the PUV drivers.
“If the government is serious in assisting burdened PUV drivers like us, jeepney drivers, they should place the money intended for us under our name, not under the names of the operators,” he said.
Carrasco said the fuel subsidy should go to the drivers, noting that the operators “are not the ones buying diesel for the daily operations of PUVs.”
Their group never received any assistance from the government since the pandemic started, according to Carrasco.
The government earlier approved P1 billion as fuel subsidy for PUV drivers amid rising prices of fuel in recent weeks.