The government is still looking for ways to help drivers and transport operators cope with rising fuel prices without passing the added burden on to commuters, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government is taking a balanced approach to the fuel price problem, with a fare increase being considered only as a last resort.
Quoting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Castro said, “Pinipiga pa muna natin ang gobyerno kung ano pang puwedeng gawin para makatulong sa mga tsuper at transport operator na hindi ipasa sa mga commuters ang pasanin.”
“Kung pagtaas ng pamasahe ay sana maging last resort natin. Tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang DOTr initiatives para maibsan ang pagtaas ng presyo ng langis, tulad ng fuel discount, free toll sa mga buses,” Lopez said, as quoted by Castro.
Castro said officials also discussed targeted subsidies for transport groups through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations during the UPLIFT meeting last week with Acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
Among the updated measures are subsidies for drivers and operators, toll exemptions for provincial buses and an extended PITX terminal fee waiver for PUVs until the end of the year.
The government is also providing a 50-percent discount on MRT-3 and LRT-2 fares, a 50-percent discount on the P1 Ro-Ro terminal fee and the Libreng Sakay program.
Castro said the recommendation of the Development Budget Coordination Committee and economic team to suspend the oil excise tax may be forwarded to President Marcos Jr. “most probably by this week.”IMT
