BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will conduct another round of dialogs with the leaders and drivers of major transport groups in Bacolod City, tentatively on Monday, to discuss further issues raised during a meeting yesterday.
Among the demands raised during the dialog yesterday was the P6,500 fuel subsidy allocated for drivers.
The transport leaders and drivers asked the LTFRB representatives how much fuel subsidy is allocated for the drivers in Bacolod since based on records, only 15 percent of them can avail of the assistance.
The LTFRB representatives headed by Joshua Gaqiit and Tessa Mae Tabian said they have yet to check their records as to the total allocation for Bacolod when they return to the regional office. They will also present to LTFRB regional director Richard Osmeña all the concerns raised by the transport groups during the dialog yesterday.
Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya said the concerns raised by the drivers were among the issues he and Abang Lingkod Partylist Rep. Stephen Paduano discussed during a hearing conducted by the Committee on Transportation in Congress Monday.
Gasataya said he and Paduano also requested for the suspension of the release of fuel subsidy for Bacolod and recommended that accredited transport associations should first submit the names of the drivers, plate number of their units and other requirements for submission to the LTFRB Central Office.*
