BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
An ordinance providing fuel subsidy to all tricycles for hire within an existing valid franchise issued by the City Government of Bacolod, was recently approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on first reading.
Authored by Councilor Em Ang, the ordinance said retail prices of gasoline currently soared to a record high in so many countries across the world.
Last July 13, the prevailing retail pump price of gasoline in Bacolod City ranged from P51.25 to P57.56. This week, the prevailing pimp price in Bacolod ranged from P79.30 to P85.46, per the Department of Energy (DoE) data, it said.
The ordinance said Bacolod City has a total of 5,610 tricycles-for-hire with existing franchises comprising 76 tricycle operators and drivers’ association (TODA).
The national government through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has been giving fuel subsidy to jeepney drivers while the tricycle drivers who are also utilizing fuel in their livelihood were taken for granted, it said.
It is imperative for the City Government of Bacolod to also provide fuel subsidy to the more than 5,000 members of the Bacolod City Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association as a measure of relief to the unprecedented increase of gasoline price in the country, it added.
The ordinance provides that the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) will submit an official list to the City Administrator’s Office of tricycles for hire with an existing valid franchise issued by the City Government of Bacolod. The City Administrator’s Office will cause the enrollment of the qualified beneficiaries with the accredited petroleum company of the city.
The qualified tricycles for hire will receive fuel subsidy of P1,000 in a form of fuel voucher. The fuel voucher will be distributed by the City Administrator’s Office, while the BPLO will monitor that the fuel subsidy will be solely utilized in favor of the qualified beneficiary, it said.
The ordinance said it will be unlawful for any beneficiary tricycle operator or driver to sell, pledge, mortgage or exchange the fuel voucher or the fuel products received by virtue of this ordinance to any other purpose/s. Any driver or operator found violating this anti-fraud provision will warrant the automatic cancellation of their tricycle franchise, without prejudice to any criminal or civil liability that may be incurred by the erring operator or driver.
The funding of the initial implementation of the program will be taken from the available funds of the Office of the City Mayor or from any available funds of the city, subject to existing auditing and accounting rules and regulations, the ordinance added.*
