KULANG PA!
POE: ONLY A THIRD OF P977-M 'TRAIN' FUEL SUBSIDY GIVEN TO JEEPNEY DRIVERS

Only a third or equivalent to P345 million of this year's P977 million budget for fuel subsidy intended for jeepney drivers and operators have so far been distributed by the government as part of the mitigating measures of the tax reform program.

"Matatapos na ang taon pero tila kulang na kulang pa rin ang ayudang ibinibigay ng gobyerno sa mga tsuper. Bagamat bumababa na ngayon ang presyo ng petrolyo, ang laki na ng nalugi sa kanila dahil sa sunod-sunod na pagtaas nung nakaraan. Dapat naman sanang ibigay na 'yan nang wala nang kondisyon dahil kasama 'yan sa batas," Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate public services committee, said in a statement.

Only 69,065 'Pantawid Pasada' cards containing P5,000 subsidy each have been distributed to drivers and operators, out of a total of 171,836 recipients, Poe was told. In explaining the delay of the rollout of the subsidy, Transport officials said the franchise holder was out of country, transfer of franchise was not reflected in their database, or either the franchise holder was dead or ill.

Poe learned about this during the marathon debates of the proposed P74.39 billion budget of the Department of Transportation this week.

"Matagal na dapat ginawa ito, dapat i-update ang listahan ng mga benepisyaryo dahil wala pa sa kalahati ang nabibigyan kahit may bago na namang nakaambang pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo bunsod ng panibagong excise taxes sa susunod na taon," Poe said.

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, which overhauled the income tax regime and increased the ceiling for tax-exempt salaries, imposed a P3-tax for every liter of kerosene, P2.50 for every liter of diesel and bunker fuel, and P1 for every kilogram of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Next year, excise taxes will increase to P4 for kerosene, P4.50 for diesel, P9 for gasoline, and P2 for LPG.

At the same time, around P40 billion in additional revenues will be generated by the second round of excise taxes under the TRAIN.

For 2019, the fuel subsidy will increase to P20,514 or P1,709 per month for every beneficiary, compared with the P5,000 subsidy for this year.

"Sana naman ibigay na nang mabilisan sa susunod na taon at wala nang dahilan pa para ma-delay ang paghatid ng nararapat na ayuda para sa mga tsuper at operator," Poe said.