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MOST of
the members of the Confederation of Truckers Association
of the Philippines (CTAP) would be able to buy fuel
under the government’s discounted fuel program.
The
confederation, the main group that pushed for truckers’
inclusion in the discount program, said it’s members can
save about P50 per truck that will travel within the
40-kilometer radius from Manila, and some P200 to P400
per truck every one-way trip equivalent to about
10-percent savings in fuel expenses per truck.
“I think
it’s a welcome development to the trucking industry as
we will be able to reduce our fuel expenses which [have]
already eaten up more than a third of our overall
expenditures,” CTAP president Rodolfo de Ocampo said.
“While
its effect will still be intangible, it will somewhat
reduce the percentage of increase [in rates] that most
trucking operators are planning to implement in the next
couple of days,” de Ocampo said.
The
discounts, which will be in place nationwide after the
government releases its implementing rules, will be
given to franchise holders and not to private truck
operators to protect the interest of oil players.
Diesel,
the most common fuel used by trucks, increased by more
than P10 per liter since January this year and is
already at the P44-per-liter level. The price is still
expected to go up as prices of oil in the world market
continue to climb at $135 per barrel.
Cargo
volume, on the other hand, decreased by 6.18 percent in
the first two months of the year due to the sluggish
performance of both foreign and local cargoes. The
Philippine Ports Authority is only expecting to post
total throughput increase of just between 2.5 percent
and 5 percent this year.
On the
other hand, the Department of Transportation and
Communications is still finalizing the
guidelines—expected to be out this month—for the
discount. |
