‘POST-LENT RELIEF’: Iloilo City drivers set for new round of fuel aid

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Tricycle drivers in Western Visayas will begin receiving cash assistance on April 8, while public utility jeepney drivers in Iloilo City are scheduled to receive fuel subsidies from the local government starting April 9.

Department of Social Welfare and Development Western Visayas Director Joselito Estember said the agency will roll out a pilot cash relief program granting PHP 5,000 to each qualified tricycle driver after Holy Week.

The relief, funded through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program, will initially cover Iloilo City, Passi City, and Roxas City, as well as nearby local government units.

“This is an extension or pilot implementation of what happened in the National Capital Region. For the pilot implementation, we will start with the highly urbanized city, component cities, and their nearby towns,” he said.

Estember said local government units submitted a list of qualified beneficiaries to DSWD-6 based on franchises issued to Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations.

He added that DSWD-6 validated the names from the local government unit list through a deduplication process before preparing the payroll for payout.

For Iloilo City, a total of 1,983 tricycle drivers are expected to benefit from the program.

“Our requirement is just simple: drivers only need to bring their driver’s license to our payout sites,” he said.

He emphasized that only those included in the validated list will be allowed to claim the assistance, and the claimant must be the driver.

Estember clarified that the assistance is intended for drivers, but operators who personally drive their tricycle units may also qualify.

JEEPNEYS

Meanwhile, the Iloilo City government will roll out the distribution of fuel subsidy coupons to around 1,600 qualified public utility jeepney drivers and operators starting April 9.

The beneficiaries were drawn from 1,782 jeepney units listed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Each qualified public utility jeepney driver will receive a PHP 1,500 fuel subsidy.

Fuel loading is scheduled on April 11–12 at designated gasoline stations assigned per route.

Drivers are required to present their original driver’s license during the release of coupons and again during fuel loading, along with a photocopy bearing three specimen signatures.

Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said only the designated driver per unit will be allowed to claim the subsidy under a strict “one unit, one driver” policy, and no authorization will be permitted.

“We are continuously looking for solutions to cushion the impact of the rising fuel cost to our transport sector. This initiative is part of our commitment to support the drivers and to ensure that they can continue to serve the public,” she said.

In late March, the city government completed the distribution of fuel subsidies to 1,718 tricycle units that applied for assistance.