LTFRB-7 reminds PUJ operators to claim 2018 fuel subsidy

CEBU CITY — Public utility jeepney (PUJ) operators in the region are being reminded about their unclaimed fuel subsidy cards last year.

Edgardo Montealto, regional director of the Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Region 7 (Central Visayas), said operators should claim the Pantawid Pasada Program (PPP) cards so they could transact with the agency without impediments.

He said the budget allocated for the fuel subsidy will have to be given back to the general fund of the national government if operators will fail to claim their cash cards.

Montealto noted that his office recorded more than 2,000 unclaimed cards last year out of 5,354 beneficiaries in Central Visayas.

He said the LTFRB central office might extend the distribution of last year's fuel subsidy to give operators the opportunity to claim the cash cards in his office.

“The reason (they failed to claim their cash cards) is that they find a hard time getting the signature of original operators of their PUJ units,” Montealto said in a radio interview, adding that existing operators who are not original owners of the jeepney units could not locate the previous operators.

He reiterated that the operators who are not original owners of jeepney units recorded under the PPP program of the government need to present a special power of attorney (SPA) authorizing them to claim the cash cards from the Land Bank of the Philippines - P. del Rosario branch in the uptown area of this city.

Original operators who are living abroad and want to execute SPA in favor of the succeeding operators can seek assistance from the nearest Philippine embassy. He said there are 18 embassies worldwide that can assist them on the SPA.

Montealto noted that there also operators who purposely left their cards unclaimed to avoid quarrel with their drivers, who insisted in getting a share of the subsidy.

He urged operators and drivers to have a sharing scheme amenable to both of them.

Montealto also said that for this year, PUJ operators in the region are set to receive PHP20,000 worth of cash cards.

He said his office will start the distribution of cards on the last week of March or first week of April. (PNA)

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