President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that beginning 15 April, the Department of Transportation will implement a service contracting scheme agreed upon during a recent meeting of the government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) team.

“Under the program, the government will pay operators and drivers from P40 to P100 per kilometer. This will be an additional take-home pay from the fares that they are getting from passengers,” the President said in a video message on Thursday.

Passengers will also receive a 20 percent fare discount on jeepneys and buses operating on routes connected to train lines such as the MRT and LRT.

“This will be imposed nationwide, covering 50,000 public utility vehicles, 1,000 operators and 15 million Filipinos. The service contracting program will be implemented during peak hours, ensuring that our passengers have enough time for their commute. All who will join will have GPS monitoring to ensure that the services are properly implemented,” Marcos said.

Fuel subsidy

The President also announced an additional P10 per liter fuel discount for public utility vehicles purchasing up to 150 liters from Department of Energy-accredited fuel stations.

“We will start this in the National Capital Region starting next week. From Commonwealth Avenue, we will expand that in España Avenue (Manila), Zapote (Las Piñas), A. Bonifacio (Caloocan), Rizal, Marcos Highway, until it reaches the rest of the country,” he said.

“This is important because we are not only addressing transport costs. We are also preventing the increase in the price of food and other basic necessities. The fuel subsidy will only be implemented in legitimate gasoline stations that are approved and monitored by the Department of Energy to ensure that it goes to the right people and is not abused. We are doing all this to keep your daily lives running smoothly. Every decision we make has only one goal: to protect the Filipino,” the President added.