The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has started the distribution of Pantawid Pasada fuel voucher cards to public utility jeepney drivers and operators in its regional offices nationwide Tuesday.
The program aims to mitigate the impact of the recent series of oil price increases and higher excise taxes due to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law.
A lump sum subsidy of P5,000 will be provided to 179,852 legitimate PUJ franchise holders until the end of 2018, according to the LTFRB.
“Pantawid Pasada is a social mitigating measure under the TRAIN Law. LTFRB is the one in charge of implementing this,” LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III said in a radio interview.
The LTFRB launched the distribution of the Pantawid Pasada cards last June 17 in Metro Manila.
The board will be initially distributing the fuel voucher cards to PUJ drivers and operators in the regions of Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, and Soccsksargen.
“Sa ngayon, out of 9 regions, almost 47,000 units ang maibibigay ng fuel cards (Out of the 9 regions, we aim to distribute fuel cards to almost 47,000 jeepney units),” Delgra said.
The Department of Transportation, LTFRB, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Energy, and the Land Bank of the Philippines have signed a joint memorandum circular on the fuel subsidy program last July 11.
According to the guidelines, Pantawid Pasada cards will be provided to the beneficiaries and processed by the LBP. The beneficiaries will have to sign a deed of undertaking that the voucher cards will only be used for purchases of petroleum products at gasoline stations.
Each fuel card contains the following information: Complete name of franchise holder, plate number of the PUJ, region where the franchise was registered and card number.
Drivers and operators need only to present a government-issued ID and its photocopy in order to avail of the fuel subsidies. The Landbank will issue the card once their names are verified on the master list issued by the LTFRB.
A budget of P977 million will be allocated to the fuel subsidy program for its implementation this year. Around P3.86 billion will be allocated to provide a P20,515 yearly subsidy.
The fuel subsidies will cover the incremental increases of the excise tax on diesel under the TRAIN Law.
Meanwhile, detained opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima on Tuesday sought an inquiry into the failure of the beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) under the conditional cash transfer scheme to receive their cash grants that are supposed to assist them with their health, education and other basic needs.
De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 850 directing the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, which she chairs, to inquire into the P1.323-billion unwithdrawn amount of the 4Ps for a period ranging from 30 to 2,190 days after payout.
“It is imperative that the government continues to deliver an effective social welfare program and social protection mitigating mechanisms helping the poorest and marginalized households by ensuring that the funds intended for CCT are given to beneficiaries who truly need.
“The failure of these funds to reach qualified beneficiaries is an inefficiency that we cannot afford to have as many of our countrymen are in dire need of assistance, especially now that we are experiencing crippling levels of inflation,” she said.
The DSWD adopted the CCT scheme in 2008. It expanded under 4Ps which is described as “a human development program of the national government that invests in the health and education of poor households, particularly of children aged 0-18 years old.”
In its 2017 audit report, the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed that the account balances of CCT/Modified Cash Transfer beneficiaries under the cash card, prepaid card and FCB mode of payment showed that ₱1.323 billion were unutilized by the supposed beneficiaries 30 to 2,190 days after payout.
Based on the same COA Report, the large amount of unwithdrawn grants requires a serious inquiry because it gives “an impression that the holders of the accounts are not in dire need of assistance for the education of their children, health needs of the family, and other basic expenses of a family.”
The senator from Bicol said the poorest of the poor beneficiary-families must receive the grants in a timely manner and that government must provide an efficient, effective and accessible system of receiving their payouts.
“There is a need to ascertain the possibility of whether the failure to withdraw the cash grants can be attributed to other factors such as limited access by the beneficiaries to banking facilities,” she said.
De Lima also underscored the need to look into possible corrective measures to allow the DSWD to promptly look into dormant CCT accounts and implement immediate courses of action to ensure that the funds reach the program’s intended beneficiaries
The 4Ps program is part of the Government’s Social Protection framework and strategy under the component of Social Welfare.
It provides cash transfers that are conditional upon the child beneficiaries’ enrolment in school and their requirement to meet a required class attendance and mothers/ pregnant women availing pre- and post-natal care to be attended during childbirth by a trained health professional.
Additionally, conditions include that 0-5-year-old children must receive regular preventive health check-ups and vaccines while 6-14 years old children must receive deworming pills twice a year and that parents should participate in training activities or Family Development Sessions. With PNA
