MANILA – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Monday stated that he directed Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III to raise the assistance to PHP500 amid criticism over the measly PHP200 monthly fuel subsidy that the government plans to distribute to poor Filipino families during the current fuel price crisis.
In a statement delivered at Malacañang Palace, Duterte stated that he received feedback “from the ground” that the PHP200 monthly cash aid was “too small” and could not sustain a family of three to five members.
“They are the productive Filipinos for tomorrow ‘pag hindi ngayon (if not now). So sabi ko kay (I told) Sonny, ‘It will be an uphill battle for the next generation kung gawain natin na (if we make it) PHP500,’” he said.
He noted that it would be up to the next administration to decide where to allocate funds for the fuel subsidy.
“So I hope that this would go a long way really to help,” he added.
Malacañang stated last week that the government intends to distribute the monthly subsidy to beneficiaries within the month.
According to Acting Presidential Spokesperson Martin Andanar, the cash aid will be given on top of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) conditional cash grant of up to PHP3,450 per month.
The 4Ps conditional cash grant includes a PHP750 health and nutrition grant, educational grants for up to three children per household – PHP700 for senior high school, PHP500 for junior high school, PHP300 for elementary, and a PHP600 rice subsidy.
The amount is what the government can currently afford, Andanar said.
However, the policy garnered criticism, including from lawmakers who claimed that PHP200 is insufficient.
The resolution to provide a monthly fuel subsidy coincided with Duterte’s decision to maintain the excise tax on various fuel products.
According to DOF, the suspension of fuel excise taxes would result to a massive revenue loss of PHP105.9 billion, or about a half-percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) this year.
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