The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributed cash relief assistance to 4,678 drivers and riders in Metro Manila on Monday, including motorcycle taxi drivers who were not included in the initial list of beneficiaries.
The simultaneous payout activities were held at SMX Aura in Taguig City and FilOil Centre in San Juan City, benefiting drivers and riders affected by rising fuel prices and other economic pressures.
Among the recipients were 2,766 delivery riders, 1,092 transport network vehicle service (TNVS) drivers, and 820 motorcycle taxi drivers from ride-hailing platforms such as Grab and Move It.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian personally inspected the payout operations to ensure the smooth distribution of assistance, in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to extend aid to qualified transport workers.
Gatchalian was joined during the monitoring activities by officials from the agency’s Disaster Response Management Group and Office for Special Concerns, including Assistant Secretaries Irene Dumlao, Paul Ledesma, and Ulysses Hermogenes Aguilar.
The DSWD said the initiative forms part of the government’s ongoing efforts to provide financial relief to sectors heavily affected by economic challenges and fluctuating fuel costs.