{"id":19675,"date":"2026-04-19T09:55:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T01:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/?p=19675"},"modified":"2026-04-19T09:55:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T01:55:35","slug":"dotr-announces-nationwide-rollout-of-cash-aid-fuel-subsidy-fare-discounts-for-transport-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/2026\/04\/19\/dotr-announces-nationwide-rollout-of-cash-aid-fuel-subsidy-fare-discounts-for-transport-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"DOTR ANNOUNCES NATIONWIDE ROLLOUT OF CASH AID, FUEL SUBSIDY, FARE DISCOUNTS FOR TRANSPORT SECTOR"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOLLOWING the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Saturday announced the nationwide rollout of transport relief measures\u2014from cash assistance for drivers to fuel subsidies and fare discounts\u2014aimed at easing the burden on public utility drivers, operators, and commuters amid rising costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the Saturday News Forum on Congress TV Digital, DOTr Acting Secretary Giovani Lopez said the cash relief assistance program is being implemented through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIto \u2018yung cash relief assistance program ng DSWD under AICS po ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian and that is P5,000 para sa ating mga tsuper. So, nasama rito \u2018yung tsuper ng mga jeepney kasama rin dito \u2018yung MC Taxi, TNVS at UV Express kasama rin ho yata,\u201d Lopez said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The DOTr chief added that the cash aid rollout is being implemented alongside fuel assistance programs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSimultaneously with the ayuda na ginawa na ang ating DSWD, nailabas na rin natin \u2018yung fuel subsidy program ng DOTr. Kung saan naman ang tutugunan natin is \u2018yung mga qualified operator and driver,\u201d the DOTr official said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He noted that it has already disbursed a significant portion of its fuel subsidy budget.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSo we started, the budget for DOTr is P2.5 billion. To date, ang na-disburse na natin is P1.5 billion. And the process of disbursement nga po natin is through banks, through e-wallet. So ginawa natin kahit papaano cashless payment,\u201d Lopez explained.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lopez emphasized that the shift to digital disbursement aims to make the process more efficient.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYun ang priority natin. Upang sa ganun, \u2018yung ating mga tsuper operator hindi masasayang kanilang araw pipila sa ating mga LTFRB offices para lang sa payout,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the DOTr chief said the department is also rolling out its Net Service Contracting Program nationwide to support both transport workers and commuters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow we\u2019re rolling out also \u2018yung net service contracting program natin. Again, this is nationwide. Nagsimula tayo last Wednesday,\u201d the official said, noting initial challenges in onboarding participants.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMedyo sabi nga ng LTFRB, matumal \u2018yung ating first few days ng ating rollout sapagkat matagal \u2018yung onboarding ng ating mga operators and drivers para dito sa programa,\u201d the official explained.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To address this, the DOTr chief said he has instructed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to conduct on-site onboarding.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNagbigay na rin tayo ng instructions sa LTFRB na lapitan na kami na \u2018yung pumunta sa ating mga terminal para naman kahit paano mas mapapabilis natin ang pag-onboarding ng ating mga operators at sa mga driver natin,\u201d Lopez said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He said the department expects participation to significantly increase in the coming days.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re expecting by Monday, makaasa po tayo na may 19,000, over 19,000 na jeepney, modern, traditional, and UV express, kasama na rin \u2018yung EDSA busway natin, na nakapasok na \u2018yung sa programa at mararamdaman na rin po ng ating mga commuters,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The program also includes benefits for commuters, including fare discounts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSabi nga ng ating Pangulo, kailangan din natin magbigay ng kahit papaano ng tulong sa ating mga commuter. That\u2019s the reason why we included also a fare discount na 20 percent sa kanila,\u201d the official said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition, Lopez added that the government introduced a fuel discount initiative in coordination with other agencies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMeron din tayong isang klase ng fuel subsidy program pero more of a fuel discount program. At ito po ang pakikipagtulungan sa DOE, sa Land Bank, DICT, madali lang ang konsepto nito\u2026 they are entitled to 10 pesos per liter, na discount for one week, meron po tayo 150 liters po \u2018yung maximum and in a day, 30 liters po \u2018yun,\u201d the DOTr chief explained.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beyond transport, the government is also addressing the cost of goods, particularly agricultural products.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBut we went further again sa utos ng ating Pangulo to address the prices naman po ng ating mga pangunahing commodities, especially mga agricultural products,\u201d the official said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He added that starting April 20, agricultural delivery trucks registered with the Department of Agriculture will benefit from toll relief.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOn Monday, based on the instruction of the President, that\u2019s April 20, magsisimula na rin po \u2018yung free toll pagdating sa mga agricultural delivery trucks po natin,\u201d the DOTr said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lopez said additional measures have also been implemented across other transport sectors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSa railway po, we implemented already what we call the 50% discount sa MRT-3 and LRT-2 natin\u2026 in just one week, ang nakinabang na dito, over 4 million passengers,\u201d the official noted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In aviation, Lopez said the government has reduced terminal and navigational fees.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYung mga airline companies natin kahit papaano makakatipid sila ng as much as P5,000, and that will basically translate din sa sustainability and stability ng ating mga pamasahe,\u201d the DOTr said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Lopez said in the maritime sector, port fees for agricultural shipments have been significantly reduced.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor agricultural products, ang binabayaran po ng shipper dyan\u2026 can be as much as P546, but this time, binabayaran na lang po P1 na lang. So \u2018yun po \u2018yung mga big at sinasabi natin ongoing government initiatives po ng Department of Transportation under the guidance and instruction ng ating Pangulo,\u201d Lopez added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOLLOWING the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Saturday announced the nationwide rollout of transport relief measures—from cash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19675"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19677,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19675\/revisions\/19677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}