More than a thousand drivers and operators of jeepneys and other public utility vehicles (PUV) that provided free rides in Iloilo City under the government’s Service Contracting Program (SCP) are still unpaid.
According to Raymundo “Boyet” Parcon, president of the Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Owners and Drivers Association (ICLAJODA), the drivers have been waiting for the payment on the Libreng Sakay program since May this year.
The payment, Parcon said, would be a big help to the drivers especially that their income has been hit heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Libreng Sakay is a program of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and is funded through the “Bayanihan to Recover as One” Act or the Bayanihan 2.
The program, which was implemented last April 19 to June 30, aims to help the pandemic-affected transport sector.
At least 200 units of modernized jeepneys took part in the program. They were given smart phones equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the length of their travel.
Meanwhile, Richard Osmeña, LTFRB-6 regional director, said they are expecting the payment to be released this week. “We are still awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.”
He said LTFRB chairman Atty. Martin B. Delgra III wrote the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) regarding the payment.
In response, the DBM said the President’s signature is needed to release the fund intended for the Libreng Sakay program.
Osmeña said the DBM sought Duterte’s approval because the program ended on June 30 and the fund should only be released within the April 19 -June 30 period.
The regional director explained that there was a delay in the processing of documents which were supposed to be submitted by the drivers and operators before June 30.IMT
Photo by Jade Dequina
