8,450 W. Visayas tricycle drivers to receive cash aid

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Jennifer P. Rendon

An initial 8,450 tricycle drivers in Western Visayas will receive PHP 5,000 in cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 6 on Wednesday, April 8, to help offset rising fuel prices.

The assistance will be released through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, or AICS, program following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to help drivers cope with higher fuel costs amid global economic disruptions.

DSWD Field Office 6 data showed that 1,983 beneficiaries are from Iloilo City, 2,600 are from Passi City, Iloilo, and 3,867 are from Roxas City, Capiz.

There will be five payout sites in the region, including three in Iloilo City and one each in Roxas City and Passi City.

In Iloilo City, payouts will be held at Barangay M.H. del Pilar Gym in Jaro, Barangay Zamora in City Proper, and La Paz Plaza Gym in La Paz.

In Roxas City, beneficiaries will receive aid at the Roxas City Civic Center starting at 7 a.m.

In Passi City, beneficiaries will claim assistance at the City of Passi Arena starting at 8 a.m.

In Iloilo City, the payout will start at 8 a.m.

DSWD Field Office 6 said the program is currently in its pilot phase, with priority given to tricycle drivers identified, certified, and endorsed by local government units.

“In the pilot phase of the implementation, the target beneficiaries are Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association members of Highly Urbanized Cities and component cities,” it said in a statement.

Therese Fely Legaste, DSWD Field Office 6 regional information officer, said the cash relief assistance is part of the pilot implementation for highly urbanized and component cities.

For other areas, Legaste said the field office is still waiting for instructions from the DSWD central office.

Legaste said the official list of beneficiaries came from validated data submitted by local government units and endorsed by tricycle operators and drivers associations.

The DSWD said payouts will follow a schedule based on the first letter of each beneficiary’s surname to ensure orderly distribution.

Drivers must present the original and a signed photocopy of their driver’s license.

The name and date of birth on the driver’s license must match the official list certified by local government units or by the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Drivers who cannot find their names on the list may approach the DSWD-LGU help desk for verification.

The DSWD said the rollout follows a multistep process to ensure the proper targeting of beneficiaries.

Under the process, local government units through their social welfare offices, along with transport authorities, first identify registered drivers.

This is followed by certification confirming that the beneficiaries are active drivers affected by the crisis.

The agency then conducts deduplication to remove duplicate entries and ensure each driver receives assistance only once.

A payroll is prepared from the validated list before the cash aid is released directly to beneficiaries through the DSWD, LandBank, or accredited financial service providers.

While the assistance primarily targets drivers, DSWD Field Office 6 said driver-operators, or those who both own and operate their vehicles, may also qualify if they are members of a recognized tricycle operators and drivers association and are included in the validated list.

The AICS program is one of the national government’s stopgap measures that provides immediate and temporary assistance to individuals and families affected by crises.

Under DSWD guidelines, AICS assistance may cover basic needs such as food, transportation, medical, educational, and burial expenses.