President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the immediate distribution of a P5,000 fuel subsidy to public utility drivers to cushion the impact of rising oil prices caused by conflict in the Middle East, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Wednesday.

Recto met with Metro Manila mayors Wednesday to coordinate a “swift and orderly” rollout of the financial assistance and stressed that local officials are essential to the process because they can accurately identify the number of jeepney and tricycle drivers operating within their jurisdictions.

“As mayors, you are the ones who best understand the real situation and the number of tricycle and jeepney drivers in your cities,” Recto said. “With good coordination and collective action, we can deliver assistance more quickly to every driver who needs it.”

The distribution in Metro Manila is scheduled to begin next week, led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Transportation.

Recto said the program will expand to other regions nationwide immediately afterward.

The subsidy is part of a presidential directive to provide relief to transport workers whose daily income is heavily affected by fuel costs.

“National government agencies will work with local government units to ensure that the assistance is distributed quickly, efficiently and directly to drivers who need it most,” Recto said.

The move follows a series of fuel price hikes triggered by ongoing tensions and instability in global energy markets.