Bacolod sets special payout for unclaimed fuel aid

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — A total of 282 out of 9,617 tricycle drivers in Bacolod City failed to claim the PHP 5,000 fuel subsidy from the national government during the three-day payout last week.

Department of Social Services and Development head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said in a radio interview that the drivers were unable to claim the cash assistance from April 8 to 10 because of medical conditions, accidents, and other reasons.

Mangga said the city government has reached out to the affected drivers and informed them about a special payout for the unclaimed assistance, although the schedule has yet to be announced.

She said drivers who still fail to claim their subsidies may be removed from the official list and replaced by beneficiaries on the waiting list.

The city government assisted in the release of the fuel subsidies from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, benefiting 9,335 tricycle drivers in Bacolod.

Meanwhile, the DSWD-Negros Island Region released a total of PHP 169.85 million in cash relief assistance to 33,970 tricycle drivers across 19 cities in the region during a three-day payout operation.

The regional payout posted a 97.13% accomplishment rate.

The DSWD-Negros Island Region is now serving tricycle drivers in municipalities across the region to expand the reach of the program.

The subsidy aims to ease the financial burden caused by continued fuel price increases, which have significantly affected the daily income of public transport drivers.