𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐋 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌 𝟏𝟎-𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐎 𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐃 𝐅𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐖𝐎𝐄𝐒
Public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers and passenger assistant officers, who are residents of the province, have begun flocking to the Capitol Grounds on April 9 to claim their 10-kilo rice subsidy from the Provincial Government.
Ramil Miñoza, a resident of Pinamungajan who has been a PUJ driver in Cebu City for 12 years, was among those who went to the Capitol and availed himself of the rice subsidy. He said they are thankful for any aid they can get from the government because life has been really hard lately.
“Ang krudo mahal na kaayo. Imbes ang tubil namo sa una dos mil ra kapin, karon moabot nag sais mil,” he told reporters at the Capitol.
He said that, after paying the boundary to the jeepney operator, he brings home a meager P700 each — a far cry from the P1,500 to P2,000 he used to earn daily before the crisis struck.
“Usahay tabla-tabla lage. Naay madala gamay pero sigi lang gyud kay naa may pamilya,” he said.
For a family of six, Miñoza said the rice subsidy would last for at least two weeks.
Another PUJ driver, 80-year-old Roberto Martinez who hails from Dumanjug, also claimed his 10-kilo rice from the Capitol. Due to the intense heat at around 2 p.m., he felt dizzy and was assisted into a wheelchair.
Martinez turned teary-eyed during an interview, saying that rising fuel prices have significantly reduced his earnings, making it difficult to sustain his livelihood. He added that he stopped driving his jeepney on March 24 when he only brought home P225 that day.
Governor Pamela Baricuatro, who briefly dropped by during the distribution along with Provincial Board Members Neneth Reluya, Sarsi Baricuatro, Nilo Seno, Nelson Mondigo, and Raymond Calderon, said her administration is working doubly hard to assist affected sectors by rolling out targeted programs.
“I have been very blunt about this nga naa ta’y supply sa rice, naa ta’y supply sa fuel here sa province,” she told the media. “We are doing our best to help the sectors nga nagkalisud.”
The rice distribution at the Capitol Grounds will continue tomorrow. It will be a whole-day event.
The program was organized by the Capitol in coordination with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7, which provided the list of qualified beneficiaries based on the names submitted by the registered transport operators across the province. The rice subsidy will be distributed in batches. Drivers are advised to coordinate with their operators for the schedule and their claiming number. /𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑶𝑳 𝑷𝑰𝑶, 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝒀𝑱𝑩
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