Abbey M.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development began distributing cash assistance to Transport Network Vehicle Service drivers in Metro Manila today, March 24 with over 27,000 drivers targeted to receive aid through 17 payout centers across the region.

Similar to the assistance extended to tricycle drivers, each TNVS driver is set to receive P5,000 in financial relief. However, the rollout was met with immediate concerns after numerous drivers discovered they were not included in the DSWD's beneficiary list.

Laban TNVS President Jun de Leon said their group was still scrambling to locate missing names well into the early hours of the morning.

"Alas-4 na tayo natulog dahil hinahanap natin ang pangalan ng ating driver at wala po sa listahan. At nakakalungkot po dun sa social media page namin silipin nyo po kung saan nagra-rant na yung mga kasamahan natin TNVS driver at tawag at text sa atin na tulungan sila," de Leon said.

["We only slept at 4 a.m. because we were searching for our drivers' names and they were not on the list. And it is saddening to see on our social media page where our fellow TNVS drivers are ranting, and calling and texting us to help them."]

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian acknowledged that unlisted drivers were expected, drawing a parallel to similar issues encountered during the tricycle driver payout. He said the names of beneficiaries are posted at each payout center, and that help desks have been set up at every site, staffed by personnel from the DSWD, Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and transport network companies, to assist drivers who need to file appeals.

Gatchalian also urged transport network companies not to filter the drivers they submit to their lists, and called on drivers filing appeals not to direct their frustration at DSWD field personnel at the payout centers, clarifying that those staff had no involvement in determining who was included in the list.

Despite the ongoing distribution, de Leon maintained that the P5,000 aid falls short given the soaring cost of fuel. He said TNVS drivers consume an average of 20 liters of gasoline daily, translating to a loss of over P500 per day.

"Nag-a-average po ng 20 liters everyday ang gasolina na ikinakarga ng ating mga kasamahang drivers na bumibiyahe at kung i-compute ito, mahigit P500 ang nawawala araw-araw sa ating mga TNVS driver. Itong P5,000 kung idadagdag sa loss ng mga ating mga TNVS driver, ito po ay pang isang linggo lamang," de Leon said.

["Our fellow drivers consume an average of 20 liters of gasoline every day, and if you compute that, more than P500 is lost daily by our TNVS drivers. This P5,000, if added to the losses our drivers are facing, only covers about one week."]

International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol warned Monday that the global economy is under a "major threat" from the energy crisis triggered by the Middle East war, stressing that no country will be spared from its consequences.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, Birol likened the current crisis to the oil shocks of the 1970s and the economic fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, describing it as the equivalent of two oil crises and one gas crash combined.

"The global economy is facing a major, major threat today, and I very much hope that this issue will be resolved as soon as possible," Birol said, adding that collective global action is urgently needed.

The warning comes as US President Donald Trump and Tehran continue to trade threats now four weeks into the war. Trump has demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world's oil and gas shipments pass.

The blockade has nearly brought petroleum shipments through the strait to a halt, sending oil prices surging.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he still needs to carefully determine how to use the emergency power recently granted to him by Congress before taking any action on the fuel excise tax.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed their respective versions of a measure granting the President emergency power to suspend or reduce the excise tax imposed on petroleum products. However, Marcos stressed that the move requires thorough study.

"Oh, that depends. Marami – that's a very complicated calculation. We will see. Depends on the trends. We have to watch the trends on oil prices. We just have to look. It's very hard to say because it's all speculation. We don't know how long this will last for."

("It depends on many factors — it's a very complicated calculation. We will have to watch the trends on oil prices. It is difficult to say at this point, as much of it remains speculation, and we do not yet know how long the current situation will last.")

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. conducted an inspection of the Agora Market in San Juan City, accompanied by other government officials, as part of the government's ongoing price and supply monitoring efforts amid the continuing conflict in the Middle East.

The President expressed satisfaction with the results of his inspection, assuring the public that there is no cause for concern over food supply and the prices of basic commodities.

"Well, nandito tayo at iniikot namin ang mga iba't ibang palengke para tiyakin na ang presyo naman ng pagkain natin ay hindi biglang tataas. At nagpapasalamat din kami sa mga vendor dahil ay pumayag naman sila na hindi itataas ang presyo at hindi sila mag-price gouging at hindi sila magsasamantala dito sa krisis na nangyayari sa Middle East. Kaya patuloy naman ang pag-inspeksyon natin para tiyakin na ang food supply – hindi lamang ang food supply, kundi ang presyo ng pagkain ay at the very least ay makikita natin na ma-maintain lang natin sa dating level."

("We are here visiting various markets to ensure that food prices do not suddenly rise. We are also grateful to the vendors for agreeing not to raise their prices and not to engage in price gouging or take advantage of the crisis happening in the Middle East. So we will continue our inspections to ensure that the food supply — not just the food supply, but also food prices — will at the very least be maintained at their previous levels.")

At the Agora Market, the cheapest well-milled rice was spotted at P48 per kilo, while premium rice ranged from P56 to P68 per kilo. A rice retailer interviewed at the market said prices were raised by only one peso this week, attributing the slight increase to higher transportation costs brought about by the recent mega fuel price hike.

The President also assured the public that the supply of petroleum products and fertilizers for farmers remains sufficient.

The Department of Energy (DOE) assured the public that the country's oil supply is expected to last until May, particularly if government agencies continue their fuel conservation efforts.

The DOE also confirmed that electric companies have sufficient power supply to meet the anticipated increase in demand as the dry season sets in.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said there will be no power supply problems in the country despite the ongoing difficulty in sourcing oil from the Middle East. She noted that most power plants in the Philippines do not rely on petroleum products.

"If there's ever any curtailment or blackout in off-grid areas, it is not because of lack of supply. We have checked over the weekend and the past few days how much supply they have, and they have sufficient supply for one to two months. Instead of diesel, we are also highly relying on coal," Garin said.

The secretary added that aside from domestic coal mining operations, the DOE has also ensured that coal importation will not face any disruptions.

Meanwhile, the DOE confirmed that the country's petroleum supply remains adequate. The agency attributed this to conservation measures observed by approximately 90 percent of government agencies, which helped extend the petroleum product supply through May.

Patrick Aquino, Director of the DOE Energy Utilization Management Bureau, said the shift to work-from-home arrangements and compressed work weeks has yielded measurable results.

"We can confirm that when our agencies shifted to work from home and compressed work week, and observed these practices, we have seen that they can generate more than ten percent savings. I think the target of the directive under Memorandum Circular 114 is closer to twenty percent," Aquino said.

The DOE also reported that there are no longer any gasoline stations reported to be running out of fuel products to sell.

The department added that it continues to coordinate with the Philippine National Police to prevent oil hoarding, and that anyone caught engaging in the practice will be apprehended.