Caraga PUV drivers to get P34-M incentives
By ALEXANDER LOPEZ
BUTUAN CITY – At least 1,359 drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) in the Caraga Region will receive a total of PHP34 million incentives from the government to ease the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the chief of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Caraga (LTFRB-13) said Tuesday.
“These drivers are onboard under the Service Contracting Program pursuant to Circular No. 2021-030 of LTFRB,” OIC-Director Maria Kristina E. Cassion of LTFRB-13 told the Philippine News Agency Tuesday.
Circular No. 2021-030 sets for additional incentives for PUV drivers who participate under the service contracting program of LTFRB.
The incentive aims to provide relief to the impact of the pandemic on the workers in the public transportation sector.
“Of the 1,359 beneficiaries, 49 are drivers of Modern Public Utility Jeep (MPUJ) while 1,310 are the Traditional Public Utility Jeep (TPUJ) drivers,” Cassion said.
Each of the driver-beneficiaries is entitled to receive PHP25,000 incentives under the said circular, she added.
As of Monday (May 10), a total of 318 drivers have already received their incentives.
“The release of the incentives is continuing as we are calling all the beneficiaries to claim their benefits,” Cassion said.
Among the drivers who enjoy the incentives are the members of BUENASCAR Transport Service Cooperative (BTSC) that covers the routes between this city to Buenavista, Nasipit, and Carmen in Agusan del Norte.
In a statement, the officers and members of BTSC thanked the DOTr and the LTFRB for the implementation of the incentives for the drivers.
“The jeepney drivers who are members of BTSC are grateful to the government for the help they received in the midst of the pandemic,” the transport group said.
BTSC also called on the other drivers in Agusan del Norte and the rest of the Caraga Region to participate in the Service Contracting Program of the government for them to avail of support they need in this time of the pandemic while providing continued support to the riding public. (PNA)
