The Department of Budget and Management said on Thursday it has retained P3.5 billion in allocations for fuel subsidies for the public transport and agriculture sectors in next year’s national budget.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the proposed 2024 budget still has the P2.5 billion for fuel subsidies for public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers under the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) and the P1 billion fuel assistance program under the Department of Agriculture.
Qualified PUV, taxi, tricycle, and full-time ride-hailing and delivery service drivers nationwide received P6,000 in fuel vouchers under the DOTr’s fuel subsidy program.
The DA’s fuel subsidy program, on the other hand, provided P3,000 worth of fuel discounts to more than 300,000 farmers and fisherfolk to cushion agricultural production from the impact of rising fuel costs.
The DBM on Wednesday submitted the P5.768 trillion proposed national budget for 2024 to the House of Representatives.
The amount is 9.5 percent higher than this year’s P5.268 trillion budget.
Meanwhile, Pangandaman said the proposed P1.4 billion budget for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s local and foreign trips is “justified.”
The amount is higher than the P893 million allocated this year.
“I think travel expenses, as long as they’re beneficial to the country, I think those are okay, justified,” she said.