Laoag: More than 2,000 tricycle drivers in this city received fuel subsidy on Wednesday to help them cope with the recent oil price hike. Each of the 2,576 total beneficiaries received PHP3,000 cash during the distribution held at the Metro Ilocos Norte Council parking lot on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Philippines News Agency, Metro Ilocos Norte Council (MINC) officer-in-charge Dale Reantillo stated that all MINC-registered members and holders of MINC IDs are entitled to avail of cash assistance from the provincial government. The MINC ID holders are also entitled to accident insurance coverage ranging from PHP30,000 to PHP50,000, Reantillo added.

“We are grateful to the continuing support of the provincial government. This is a big help to us,” Charles Guzman, a tricycle driver from this city, said in an interview. Through the MINC, over 13,000 tricycle and 800 jeepney drivers and operators are registered as beneficiaries of the “Manayon a Tulong Pasada (Tuloy-tuloy na Tulong Pasada)” program.

Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc has directed the MINC office to speed up the distribution of cash aid amid the continuing increase in the prices of gasoline and petroleum products. The provincial government’s fuel subsidy program started in 2021 and has been carried out annually due to the oil price hikes. It is separate from the national government’s fuel subsidy program.