DOTr, LTFRB Instructed to Speed Up ‘Pantawid Pasada’ Card Distribution

Heads of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) received some rebuking words from Senator Nancy Binay regarding the slow distribution of ‘Pantawid Pasada’ cards.

The Senator highlighted that the distribution was moving at a snail’s pace, and this, along with the successive fuel price increases this year, is hurting the pockets of the program’s recipient drivers.

“Patuloy pong umaaray ang mga kasama nating jeepney driver at operators dahil sa muling pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo, kung kaya’t kailangan nating tanungin ang DOTr at LTFRB kung kamusta na ang distribusyon nila ng ayuda,” Binay said.

During the 2019 budget hearings last December, it was discovered that only 69,000 beneficiaries received thir cards, less than half of the target 171,000 intended recipients.

“Jeepney drivers and operators take the brunt of the impact of these increases, lalo ngayong ibinalik sa PHP9.00 ang minimum fare,” Binay added. “Baka we’ll call another hearing to get an update kung close to 100 percent na yung kanilang distribution for this ‘Pasada’ assistance to our jeepney drivers.”

Binay also called on the LTFRB to strictly monitor the cards’ usage, noting that some drivers complained of not getting the subsidy from their operators, or the subsidy being used for other purposes.