The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has disbursed a total of PHP8.21 billion in cash relief assistance so far to 1,642,837 public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers nationwide affected by the surge in fuel prices due to tensions in the Middle East.
“Tuloy-tuloy pa din po ang ating payout para siguraduhing lahat ng kwalipikado ay makakatanggap ng cash aid alinsunod sa utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na bigyan ng tulong ang mga PUV drivers sa gitna ng epekto ng pagtaas ng presyo ng produktong petrolyo. Mahigpit na bilin niyang walang maiiwanang kwalipikadong mga drivers (The DSWD continues its payout to ensure that all qualified drivers will receive cash aid, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to provide assistance to drivers affected by the rising prices of petroleum products. He strictly ordered that no qualified driver should be left behind),” DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a news release on Monday.
The breakdown of the March 30 monitoring report showed that tricycle drivers received the lion’s share in the DSWD’s cash relief assistance with 1,120,845 beneficiaries receiving a total of PHP5.604 billion
Service delivery riders logged the second-highest number of recipients with 248,660 individuals accounting for PHP1.24 billion of the total disbursed funds.
The DSWD also listed 116,301 public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers who received PHP581.505 million in financial assistance.
Meanwhile, motorcycle (MC) taxi drivers numbering 88,769 received a total of PHP443.85 million, while transport network vehicle services (TNVS) drivers also benefited from the payout with 68,262 qualified individuals receiving PHP341.31 million.
“Tinitingnan din ng pamahalaan kung kakailanganin pa ng second batch ng cash relief assistance para sa transport sector dahil hindi pa naman tuluyang bumabalik sa dati ang presyo ng petrolyo, at magdedepende pa rin ang lahat sa magiging sitwasyon natin sa mga susunod na araw (The government is also studying if a second batch of cash relief assistance is needed for the transport sector since the cost of fuel is not going down to its previous level, and everybody still depends on the situation in the coming days),” Dumlao said.
The DSWD has coordinated with the Transport Network Companies (TNCs) to ensure the efficient conduct of distribution, especially in the special payout in Metro Manila.
The provision of the PHP5,000 cash aid under the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program remains a core component of the Marcos administration’s Unified Package of Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) intervention framework for vulnerable sectors.
This cash relief payout is in line with President Marcos’s directive to provide immediate financial support to the transport sector to lessen the impact of surging petroleum prices on their daily income. (PNA)
