The Cebu City Government has started releasing fuel subsidy assistance to qualified transport drivers on Friday, October 30, months after approving the program and launching a validation process to weed out ineligible beneficiaries.
Initial payroll records released by City Hall showed that payouts had been scheduled for drivers from several barangays and transport groups.
Among the first batches were 104 qualified beneficiaries under the Habal-Habal Fuel Subsidy program in Barangay Sinsin, with a total allocation of P260,000; 109 beneficiaries from Barangay Cambinocot with P272,500; 98 from Sudlon 2 with P245,000; and 43 from Tabunan with P107,500.
The four barangays accounted for a combined payout of P885,000, with each beneficiary receiving P2,500 in cash.
Another batch covered drivers from Barangays Cogon Ramos, Sto. Niño, San Antonio and Sta. Cruz, involving 111 beneficiaries and a total allocation of P272,500.
The payouts mark the long-awaited implementation of the city’s P35-million fuel subsidy program, which aims to cushion transport workers from the impact of rising fuel prices.
The program faced repeated delays after city officials found discrepancies in the initial list of applicants.
The number of applicants had ballooned from about 10,000 to roughly 35,000, prompting City Hall to conduct a thorough revalidation to ensure that only legitimate transport workers would receive assistance.
Mayor Nestor Archival subsequently ordered stricter verification of beneficiaries, requiring applicants to submit supporting documents and certifications before they could be included in the final payroll.
The city government removed duplicate, questionable and ineligible entries from the master list before releasing the funds. The P35-million subsidy was earlier allocated through Supplemental Budget No. 1.
Qualified beneficiaries also include drivers of public utility vehicles, modern jeepneys, taxis and habal-habal operators who meet the requirements set under an executive order issued by Archival.
Officials earlier said applicants must be registered voters of Cebu City, hold valid driver’s licenses and certify that they have not received similar fuel assistance through another government program.