DOE-7 asks oil firms to submit list of POS gas retail outlets
By Fayette C. Riñen
‘as Pantawid Pasada card is only accepted in POS fuel retail stations’
CEBU CITY, May 5 (PIA) --- The Department of Energy (DOE) -7 has already instructed the major oil companies to submit a listing of their gasoline retail stations in the region that have the POS (Point of Sale) system as the ‘Pantawid Pasada’ Program is set to launch in the provinces including Cebu at the end of this month at the earliest.
DOE-7 Regional Director Antonio Labios said only POS gas retail outlets are programmed to accept the Smart cards pre-loaded with P1,050 as the government’s fuel assistance to jeepney drivers who are the hardest hit by the climbing prices of crude oil in the world market resulting to soaring costs of fuel in the country.
“We are still waiting for the complete list from the oil companies of their gas retail outlets. So far, in the national level, only Shell Company has submitted a list to the DOE,” Labios disclosed.
Labios said this is one of the reasons why the implementation of the Pantawid Pasada Program, a fuel purchase assistance of the government through the DOE has been a bit delayed in the provinces. Last Monday, the program has kicked off in Metro Manila as Smart cards are distributed by batches to jeepney operators who, in turn, should give the fuel assistance card to their drivers.
“Oil companies have assured us that they will make sure that in remote areas, there will be one to three gas retail outlets with the POS system along the public transport routes so that jeepney drivers can still purchase fuel using the Smart card,” Labios bared.
Though the basic objective of the program is to ease the burden of jeepney drivers heavily encumbered with the rising oil hikes, but the basis for the distribution of the Smart card is the registration of the jeepney vehicle with franchise, Labios declared.
Almost 12,000 public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in Central Visayas have a franchise while the registration of these public vehicles will also be checked as only those registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) -7 as of March 31, this year can avail of the government’s fuel assistance program, this is learned.
Labios meanwhile, asked the public to brace for higher costs of oil as the internal conflicts in the Middle East have not been resolved.
“We largely import oil from the Middles East. The crisis in the Middle East that first started inEgypt that spread off to Yemen, Libya then Syria without any resolution in the near future is affecting the prices of oil in the world market. This in turn has led to climbing prices of fuel in the Philippines based on the law of supply and demand as well as the current dollar to peso exchange rate,” Labios explained the current oil situation in the country.
Labios said the Philippine Government continues to explore ways to source indigenous sources of oil to lessen the country’s dependence on imported fuel. (PIA-Cebu)
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Cebu Muslim communities favor peace & dev't
by Fayette C. Rinen
‘amid fears of retaliatory attacks due to Bin Laden’s death’
CEBU CITY, May 4 (PIA) --- As the Philippine National Police continues to be on extreme alert amid the possibility of retaliatory attacks by Muslim supporters of Osama Bin Laden in the country, a top police official here stated that Muslim communities in Cebu have always been for pro-peace and development.
S/Supt. Mariano Natuel, chief of the Police Community Relations Division of the Police Regional Office (PRO) -7 bared that Muslim communities who are residing in Cebu are mostly businessmen and are one in supporting the police in their anti-criminality drive especially against criminal elements or extremists from Mindanao.
“Our Muslim brothers in Cebu are mostly engaged in business and are one in unity for peace and development because they do not want their business to be affected,” Natuel said.
Natuel added that the police continue to work with every sector including the Muslim community to ensure that peace and order is maintained.
Because of Bin Laden’s death, threats of retaliation by Al Qaeda supporters worldwide especially against US citizens have been feared. The Jemiah Islamiah and the Abu Sayaff group in Mindanao have been linked to the Al Qaeda network of Bin Laden, its founder and leader who was recently killed by US forces in Pakistan.
Although Natuel disclosed that there are no intelligence reports on possible retaliatory attacks by Muslim extremist groups in the region, the police is not taking a complacent stand on the matter.
“We continue to remain on guard against any possible attacks by extremists,” Natuel said.
In Mindanao, police checkpoints have been increased to thwart any plans of possible attacks, this is learned. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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Wage board’s final discussion for wage hike set on May 12
By Eli C. Dalumpines
CEBU CITY, May 4 (PIA) --- The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) inCentral Visayas is set to hold its final discussion for a possible wage increase for workers in the private sector on May 12.
RTWPB-7 Legal Counsel Atty. Glen Tabon, in a recent phone interview, said the board failed to reach a decision on the existence of a “supervening” condition in the region in its meeting last Friday that would warrant a wage increase as it is still waiting for an updated data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) on the living condition of the people in the region.
Tabon, however, refused to comment whether he already saw a hint that a wage increase is needed based on the data presented by other government agencies during the meeting saying that a complete data is required before the board can come up with a decision.
The RTWPB legal counsel informed though that after the board declared the existence of a “supervening” condition, it will immediately conduct a wage deliberation to discuss the wage increase petitions filed by the labor groups.
After an appropriate amount for an increase has been determined, the board will then draft a wage order for confirmation from the National Wages and Productivity commission in Manila, according to Tabon.
Upon confirmation, the Commission will send the wage order back to RTWPB after which it will be set for publication, he further informed.
The wage increase will take effect 15 days after the wage order is published, he said.
Tabon stressed that wage implementation under this case is faster compared to the normal process since a “supervening” condition is considered extra-ordinary so that it also required an immediate response.
“If the board will be able to declare a “supervening” condition on May 12, a wage increase will probably be up by June,” Tabon assured. (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)
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Almost 12,000 registered PUJs in C. Visayas can avail of ‘Pantawid Pasada’ Program
By Fayette C. Rinen
CEBU CITY, May 4 (PIA) --- Over 11,000 franchise holders of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) have been registered with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) inCentral Visayas as the same figure is set to receive the government’s public transport assistance program dubbed “Pantawid Pasada.’
The Pantawid Pasada Program that provides fuel purchase assistance to jeepney and tricycle drivers designed to temporarily ease their plight amid the series of oil price hikes has initially kicked off in Metro Manila as provinces nationwide will follow suit with the schedules yet to be determined.
LTFRB-7 Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon during the Kapihan sa PIA this morning that featured the program bared that based on their list, “there are 11,897 registered franchise holders inCentral Visayas.”
Though the objective of the program is to help the jeepney and tricycle drivers, mostly affected with the incessant fuel increases, but the basis for the distribution of the Smart Cards pre-loaded with P1,050 fuel purchase assistance are franchise holders of PUJs with LTO-registration until March 30, this year, this is disclosed by Engr. Antonio Labios, regional director of the Department of Energy (DOE)-7.
“Based on our meeting with top officials of LTFRB in Manila, the program would jumpstart in the provinces 20 working days May 2, the launching of the Pantawid Pasada in Metro Manila. This, I would surmise to be at the end of May,” according to Cuizon.
But DOE-7 officials said that they still do not have the specific date for the launching of the program in the provinces but said they would immediately announce the schedule in case things have been finqalized.
“If you browse at the DOE website, at the right upper corner is shown the Pantawid Pasada Program with the schedules. At this time, the schedules shown are the dates of the distribution in Metro Manila which is done by batches,” DOE-7 Supervising Regulatory Officer Engr. Rey Maleza said.
Maleza said that though the assistance is only a one-shot deal, the validity of the card is five years as it can be used as a discount card provided by retail gas stations which sometimes provide discounted fuel rates to the PUJ drivers.
“We also do not discount the possibility that the government might again provide another round of fuel assistance to the public transport system,” Maleza declared.
President Bengino Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 32 otherwise known as ‘Pantawid Pasada’ aimed at extending fuel assistance to jeepney and tricycle drivers as fuel prices continue to climb. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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“Smart Card” to alleviate the present situation of oil-price hike
| CEBU CITY, May 4 (PIA) --- The Smart cards preloaded with P1,050 for fuel purchase is specifically intended for public utility jeepney (PUJ) & tricycle drivers nationwide to give temporary support of their never-ending burden with the constant increase of oil prices. This Smart card or otherwise known as “Pantawid Pasada” card aims to be a short-term relief to those legitimate PUJ drivers and tricycle drivers of their problem with oil prices. The basis of the drivers’ legitimacy is the registered franchise of the jeepney they are driving. Since the Pantawid Pasada card is intended for PUJ & tricycle drivers, it is the operator’s responsibility to hand-over the card to their respective drivers. The card can be used as payments for fuel purchases at selected petroleum retail outlets or gasoline stations displaying “PANTAWID PASADA CARD ACCEPTED HERE”. This card can also be use to avail discounts on selected petroleum and gasoline retail outlets. The distribution of these cards startd in Manila on May 2. According to LTFRB Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon today's Kapihan sa PIA, after 20 working days of the first distribution of Pantawid Pasada cards in Manila, Central Visayas will follow its distribution too. However, this is not yet definite and it might be moved by the end of May. It was also mentioned during the Kapihan sa PIA that only those registered franchise up to March 30, 2011 are the only ones that can avail of the pantawid pasada program. (PIA-7/Ailene G. Limutan, Intern-CTU) |