PUVs’ fuel subsidy to continue under ‘22 budget – Angara

DUE to the continuing threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Senate has decided to again provide a budget for the fuel subsidy program and service contracting program for public utility vehicles (PUVs).

Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, chairman of the committee on finance, approved under the 2022 national budget bill, the amount of P10 billion for the fuel subsidy program.

Angara said that financial assistance or fuel vouchers shall be provided for the qualified drivers of jeepneys, taxis, tricycles, full-time ride-hailing, and delivery services. Fisherfolk and farmers using gasoline are likewise qualified to receive said assistance.

On December 1, the Senate passed Committee Report 332 or the Senate version of the “General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2022,”which Angara described to be timely, especially in light of the recent news on the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant of concern named Omicron.

Angara pointed out that the Department of Health (DoH) will continue to receive a significant portion of the national budget in order to best prepare “for the worst-case scenario.”

“While there may be changes in the details and the allocated budget, the very spirit of our national budget is still there, which is to help uplift our nation from this pandemic,” Angara said.

Under the approved Senate version of the 2022 national budget, the DoH will receive a total budget of P226.7 billion, which is much higher than the 182.67 billion that was appropriated under the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) passed by the House of Representatives.

Some of the increases in relation to the appropriations made in the GAB include items related to the pandemic response: Covid-19 Benefits and Compensation for Health Care Workers; Covid-19 Human Resource for Health Emergency Hiring; Covid-19 Laboratory Network Commodities; the DoH’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Program; Operations for national reference laboratories like the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; and the hiring and training of 25,000 contact tracers.

Angara noted amendments to special provisions were introduced for the purchase and allocation of Food and Drug Administrationapproved drugs, medicine, and vaccines for Covid-19, such as molnupiravir.

Aside from the DoH, the approved Senate version of the GAB assured that the Education sector would receive a lion’s share of the national budget.

Angara said the Department of Education’s budget will see an increase of P6.7 billion under the proposed Senate bill.

State universities and colleges, on the other hand, will receive a total of P26.56 billion while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will get P1.46 billion, according to the Senate Committee on Finance chairman.

“This will be particularly important as we consider the expansion of face-to-face classes to more schools across the country. Funding support will remain for our schools as they make a transition to safe, face-to-face operations,”Angara explained.

Following the approval of the Senate version of the national budget, Senate President Vicente“Tito”Sotto 3rd named the Senate contingent in the bicameral conference committee to be led by Angara.

The Senate members are: Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel“Migz”Zubiri, senators Cynthia Villar, Ronald“Bato”dela Rosa, Pia Cayetano, Sherwin Gatchalian, Christopher Lawrence“Bong”Go, Richard Gordon, Ana Theresia“Risa”Hontiveros, Imee Marcos, Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, Nancy Binay and Mary Grace Poe.