P35M fuel subsidy: Mayor Archival orders review of aid list over ineligible names

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mayor Nestor Archival has ordered a fresh validation of beneficiaries for the city’s P35-million fuel subsidy after officials allegedly discovered that the list included barangay employees, barangay watchmen, call center agents, and other individuals who do not qualify as transport workers.

The revalidation has delayed the release of the long-awaited assistance, which the city originally targeted to distribute by the end of July.

Archival said the city could not proceed with the payout without first ensuring that only legitimate transport workers receive the subsidy.

Mayor cites sharp increase in listed beneficiaries

Archival said the city noticed a significant increase in the number of listed beneficiaries compared with previous fuel assistance programs.

He said earlier fuel subsidy distributions covered only about 10,000 drivers, while the current list has ballooned to around 35,000 names, prompting City Hall to verify every entry.

“Kinahanglan ato ning i-profiling og balik because ang uban nga mga barangay tanod, mga barangay nga mga empleyado, giapil didto as habal-habal, ‘nya naay mga call center agents, naay habal-habal. Dili man ni pwede,” he said.

(We already discussed this… We need to profile everyone again because we found that some barangay watchmen, barangay employees, and even call center agents were included as habal-habal drivers. That should not happen.)

Archival said barangay officials and recognized habal-habal organizations would help identify legitimate beneficiaries because they know the drivers operating in their respective communities.

Distribution delayed pending validation

Archival admitted the city initially aimed to begin distributing the subsidy before the end of July but said officials would not release public funds without completing the verification process.

“Ang target gyud ta nato end of July ipang hatag. Pero dili nato na mahimo karon because you cannot just simply give nga wala nato na-verify,” he said.

(Our target was to distribute it by the end of July. But we cannot do that now because we cannot simply assist 35,000 people whose eligibility we have not verified.)

READ: Cebu City’s fuel subsidy only for resident drivers

The city allocated P35 million for the subsidy under its budget.

Archival said releasing the assistance without validation would likely trigger complaints from legitimate transport workers who might lose out to ineligible recipients.

“Ato ni siyang i-evaluate og sakto kay dako man mong reklamo, ‘Ngano man kami wa taga-i, siya gitagaan man?'” he said. (We need to evaluate this properly because many will complain, asking why they did not receive assistance while others did.)

Questions over beneficiary list

The latest review follows earlier concerns raised by city officials and members of the Cebu City Council regarding the accuracy of the beneficiary list.

Councilor Jun Alcover had previously warned that some individuals allegedly registered as habal-habal drivers despite not actually working in the sector.

“Naay mga nangolekta og pangalan… dili malikayan nga ang uban magpalista bisan dili tinuod nga habal-habal,” he said. (Some people have been collecting names… it cannot be avoided that some will register even if they are not legitimate habal-habal drivers.)

Those concerns prompted the city to tighten validation before releasing the subsidy.

City already tightened eligibility rules

Even before the latest review, the city government had announced stricter eligibility requirements to prevent duplication and ensure that only Cebu City transport workers receive assistance.

Archival earlier said beneficiaries must be Cebu City residents and registered voters, after transport groups submitted names of drivers from outside the city.

The mayor explained that non-resident drivers could seek assistance from their own local government units since the city’s subsidy comes entirely from local funds.

Officials have also coordinated with transport cooperatives and barangay officials to validate the identities of qualified beneficiaries.

Fuel cards still under study

Aside from reviewing the beneficiary list, City Hall continues to study replacing direct cash assistance with a fuel card system.

Archival earlier said the proposed mechanism would allow qualified drivers to use the subsidy exclusively for fuel purchases instead of receiving cash that could be spent on other needs.

The city government and the Cebu City Council continue to refine the distribution scheme alongside the ongoing validation process.

P35 million set aside

The fuel subsidy is part of the Supplemental Budget No. 1 for 2026.

Officials have yet to announce how much each qualified driver will receive since the final number of beneficiaries remains under review.

The mayor stressed that the city would rather delay the distribution than risk releasing public funds to individuals who do not qualify under the program.

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