DILG-8 distributes P1.79M under "Pantawid Pasada" for tricycles

By MYLES COLASITO
May 20, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  In line with President Noynoy Aquino’s Pantawid Pasada program, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Office-08  announced its preparations  for the release of around 1.79 million pesos in fuel assistance for registered motorcabs-for-hire (MCH) in Eastern Visayas.

DILG Regional Director Francisco C. Jose in a press conference called by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) with officials from the Department of Energy (DOE) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) on May 20, said the region received an allotment of 1,790,250 pesos for downloading to 78 local government units (LGUs) who shall be responsible for distributing the one-time gasoline subsidy of P150 cash per tricycle unit to motorcab operators. Among the officials on hand to explain about the Pantawid Pasada both for jeepneys and tricycles were DOE Dir. Antonio Labios and Engr. J. Rey Madeza from the Visayas field office, PIA-8 Director Olive Tiu, and LTO-8 Dir. Camilo Guarin.

The distribution of the fund is part of the Pantawid Pasada or the Public Transport Assistance Program (PTAP) of the government, which was created under Executive Order No. 32, s. 2011 issued by President Benigno S. Aquino III.  The PTAP aims to provide assistance to the public transport sector to cushion the impact and the resulting effects of oil price hikes on the costs of fuel, food and other basic commodities.

Director Jose said that the 1.79 million pesos released to the region is based on the 11,935 registered Motorcabs for hire (MCH) submitted by LGUs as of March 28, 2011.  The allotment is broken down as follows: Leyte - P718,650 for 4,791 MCH units in 28 LGUS; Samar - P342,000 for 2,280 MCH units in 8 LGUs; Southern Leyte - P326,700 for 2,178 MCH units in 16 LGUs; Eastern Samar - P240,450 for 1,603 MCH units in 18 LGUs; Northern Samar - P108,900 for 726 MCH units in 7 LGUs; and Biliran - P53,550 for 357 MCH units in 1 LGU.

RD Jose explained that the sum is part of the P134.4 million released by the government through the Pantawid Pasada program to partly subsidize 896,024 certified tricycle franchisees nationwide.  He revealed that five (5) LGUs - Matalom in Leyte; Macrohon, Tomas Opus and Maasin City in Southern Leyte as well as Catbalogan City, Samar will be among the first to receive the amount as these were the first to complete the required documents such as Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and certified list of tricycle franchisees in their localities. He added that once these papers pass the pre-audit, the check will be released to the respective municipal/city treasurers through the concerned DILG field offices.

Earlier, DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo urged LGUs to provide counterpart funding in order to help tricycle franchise owners amid fuel price hike in the country.

The Department issued the implementing guidelines on the release of tricycle subsidy under the Pantawid Pasada. Under the implementing guidelines issued by the DILG, regional offices shall forge a memorandum of agreement with concerned local chief executives who shall prepare and certify the list of tricycle franchisees in their localities, including their addresses and the number of operating tricycles.

The list shall be the basis of DILG regional and field offices in the computation of the subsidy by the DILG regional and field offices. Likewise, under the guidelines, mayors are directed to set-up a PTAP Assistance and Complaint Desk to receive feedback and address the complaints of the beneficiaries.