A party-list group that advocates for the welfare of seamen on Sunday urged the government to include the domestic shipping sector on the list of fuel subsidy recipients, just like those engaged in public land transportation operations.
In a statement, the MARINO party-list group hailed the national government’s efforts to alleviate the plight of land transport operators ensuing from the successive fuel price hikes but assailed its “silence on the plight of the domestic maritime transport industry, particularly the banca operators and small-scale fishermen.”
“Apart from them being among the primary consumers of fuel for their livelihood, they are also affected by the steep increase in the cost of goods in the market—a negative effect of the rising price of fuel,” the group said in a statement.
The COVID-19 pandemic, the group said “has brought distress to all sectors of the country, but we see less emphasis on meeting the needs of the domestic shipping operators, including banca operators and fishermen, in these difficult times.”
“As such, we call on the national government, as well as our colleagues in the House of Representatives and the Senate, to include our domestic shipping operators and fisherfolk in the Fuel Subsidy Program of the government that is scheduled for release this year.”
“This will be a big help to the banca operators who find it difficult to eke out a living. The high cost of fuel is felt not only in the streets but also on the high seas,” the group said.