The City Government of Zamboanga Monday morning, June 1, launched a cashless fuel program for its fleet of vehicles and equipment, marking a significant step toward modernizing fuel management and strengthening transparency and accountability in government operations.

Implemented in partnership with Petron, the program introduces a digital fuel transaction system that replaces traditional fuel procurement and monitoring methods. As part of the rollout, the city distributed fleet cards to various departments, offices, and divisions during the regular flag-raising ceremony at the City Hall grounds.

Representing Mayor Khymer Olaso, Vice Mayor Beng Climaco and Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary Celso Lobregat led the turnover of the cards to representatives of the city government’s departments and offices. The number of cards issued was based on the vehicles assigned to each office.

Lobregat said the initiative is among Mayor Olaso’s flagship programs aimed at replacing paper-based trip tickets with a secure, digital, and highly accountable fuel management platform. He noted that the system helps minimize fraud, reduces administrative workload, and enables real-time monitoring of fuel transactions through Petron’s 13 service stations in Zamboanga City and its nationwide network.

The fleet card system consists of two types of cards: the red vehicle card, which is assigned to specific government vehicles and contains the vehicle’s plate number and office designation, and the blue administrative card, which is intended for generator sets, pump boats, and other city-owned equipment requiring fuel support.

Also present during the launch were City Administrator Percival Ramos, Zamboanga City Police Office Director PCol. Fidel Fortaleza Jr., representatives from the Zamboanga City Fire District and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, as well as department heads, division chiefs, and employees of the city government. (Arvin Midel) (photo credits: Kathy Wee Sit)