HOUSE Transportation Committee chairman and Quezon City Rep. Franz Pumaren said on Saturday that the delayed implementation of the National ID system should be investigated as it is stalling the delivery of assistance to transport workers affected by rising fuel prices resulting from the war in the Middle East.
Pumaren added that government initiatives such as fuel discounts, per-kilometer subsidies and fare incentives hinge on accurate identification and targeting of beneficiaries.
He said that because only 50 percent of national IDs were distributed, many transport workers, particularly in the informal sector, lack valid government-issued IDs, limiting their access to assistance.
”They do not have passports or licenses, that’s why they don’t get aid,” Pumaren said in a forum in Quezon City.
He added that the absence of a unified ID system continues to cause inefficiencies, data mismatches and duplication.
”What is important here is the correct data. If we do not have a proper identification system, the government will have problems with targeting,” Pumaren said.
Pumaren said he will file a resolution seeking a House inquiry into the rollout of the national ID system under the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
”I will file a resolution to investigate what is happening at the PSA; they have a huge budget, almost P700 million, but the output is lacking,” he said.
Pumaren called on regulators to exhaust government support for the transportation sector before approving any fare increase.
While fare increases fall under the jurisdiction of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Pumaren stressed the need to “revisit the whole scenario” amid ongoing petitions to raise fares by as high as P25 and called on maximizing the existing interventions.
”With what we are currently doing — we have fuel subsidies, discounted fuel, per-kilometer payments provided to jeepney and bus operators and drivers, plus a 20-percent discount — I think we can bank on those first,” Pumaren said.
He warned that any untimely fare hike could have significant consequences on low-income households.
