NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur (PIA) — Mayor Leni Robredo is expediting the implementation of a P500 daily fuel subsidy for public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers for one month after she approved the ordinance on Wednesday.
Robredo said that she has communicated with the accounting office and ordered the swift release of fuel vouchers to help address rising fuel prices amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
According to the ordinance, verified cooperatives and transport groups with established routes and franchises in Naga City will identify PUJ drivers who operate daily. The city will partner with gas stations for one month, while the cooperatives will handle the distribution of the vouchers.
The Naga City Urban Transportation and Mobility Council, along with the Naga City Cooperatives Development Office, will oversee and monitor the implementation process.
Councilor Elmer Baldemoro, chair of the Committee on Finance and Appropriations, explained that the city council has allocated more than P4.7 million for the fuel subsidies. This amount comes from reverted savings from the Local Government Support Fund, which was originally intended for rice purchases.
Robredo mentioned that the ordinance stipulates that PUJ drivers will receive daily fuel vouchers from the city government while they await assistance from the national government.
Once the assistance from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board begins to be distributed, the fuel voucher distribution will pause for 10 days and then resume immediately afterward.
Robredo added that this initiative by the local government unit (LGU) aims to provide relief to jeepney drivers during this period of high fuel and oil prices.
Rolly Hubilla, a 52-year-old PUJ driver on the Naga–Calabanga route, expressed his gratitude to the city government for this support.
“That would already be a big help to us, since I also have children and give them money for transportation to school every day. Thank you to the LGU for thinking of helping us right away,” he said.
Leoner Aguilar shared that they have already received tentative dates for the distribution of fuel vouchers.
He commended both the LGU and the Marcos administration, which he said are doing their best to help the transportation sector cope with the ongoing crisis.
Similarly, Angel Buenviaje appreciated the P500 daily fuel voucher, saying the effort means a lot to them.
“That’s not small for me. If it’s given every day, it will eventually add up to something significant over time. I just want to thank Mayor Leni and President Marcos—we are receiving help in this difficult situation,” he said. (PIA Bicol)