MANILA, Philippines — The long-awaited distribution of the P5,000 fuel subsidy for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers has hit a major roadblock. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) revealed that the discovery of “ghost drivers”—unverifiable or duplicate names in the beneficiary list—has forced a suspension of the payout for thousands of legitimate transport workers.
The subsidy, intended to cushion the impact of rising oil prices, was supposed to be fully liquidated this month, but government auditors flagged significant discrepancies in the registries provided by various transport cooperatives and operators.
The LTFRB’s internal audit uncovered several layers of data irregularities that have compromised the integrity of the Pantawid Pasada program:
- Duplicate Identities: Multiple entries of the same driver across different transport routes or cooperatives.
- Ineligible Claims: Names of individuals who are no longer active in the transport sector, including some who have passed away or moved abroad.
- Lack of Documentation: Thousands of entries lacked the required driver’s license numbers or QR-coded identification, making it impossible for the Land Bank of the Philippines to process the cash cards.
The delay has left legitimate jeepney, tricycle, and bus drivers in a financial lurch. Many were counting on the P5,000 to cover nearly a week’s worth of fuel expenses.
“It’s frustrating because we submitted all our papers on time,” said a representative from a major transport group in Quezon City. “Now, the honest drivers are being punished because of the ‘ghosts’ included by a few greedy operators.”
The LTFRB has ordered an immediate top-to-bottom “cleansing” of the list. Key measures being implemented include:
- Biometric Verification: Cross-referencing names with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) database to ensure every “driver” has a valid and active professional license.
- Mandatory Cooperative Audits: Transport cooperatives found to have intentionally submitted “ghost” names face the possibility of franchise suspension or hefty fines.
- Digital Onboarding: Moving away from manual paper lists to a centralized digital portal where drivers must personally verify their status.
LTFRB officials expressed hope that the “clean” list will be ready for the next batch of payouts by mid-May. However, they clarified that the P5,000 aid for the contested slots will remain “on hold” until the identities of the claimants are 100% verified.
“We cannot allow public funds to vanish into thin air,” an LTFRB spokesperson emphasized. “We are working double time to ensure that every centavo goes to the hands of the hardworking drivers who are actually on the road.”