House Deputy Speaker Albee Benitez, Bacolod City lone district representative, criticized the rollout of cash aid for riders, saying the distribution fell short of humane and orderly standards.
Benitez said there was a disconnect between what the Department of Social Welfare and Development described as a successful payout and the actual conditions on the ground.
“There seems to be a disconnect between actual conditions on the ground and what the Department of Social Welfare and Development hails as a success. Hindi po naging matiwasay ang distribution ng cash relief assistance (The distribution of cash relief assistance was not orderly),” he said.
“Magmula umaga, at sa kasagsagan ng buong araw na init ay pumila ang mga driver para makatanggap ng tulong. Ako po mismo ay nakasaksi nito (From morning until the peak of the day’s heat, drivers lined up to receive aid. I myself witnessed this),” he added.
The lawmaker said the long queues under intense heat during the payout for motorcycle taxi and delivery riders in Metro Manila were unacceptable.
“There has to be a better way of releasing aid than what just happened,” Benitez said.
“Bugbog na ang mga driver dahil sa dagok ng mahal na petrolyo at sa epekto nito sa kanilang kabuhayan. Huwag na natin silang tanggalan pa ng dignidad at bigyan ng kahihiyan (Drivers are already battered by the blow of expensive fuel and its impact on their livelihood. Let us not strip them further of their dignity or subject them to humiliation),” he stressed.
“Those who receive aid deserve to do so under humane conditions. That is why I appeal not only to the DSWD, but all frontline agencies, to ensure that there is a better system and a better environment for distributing aid,” he added.
“Hindi utang na loob ng mga kababayan natin ang tulong na nararapat sa kanila. Lagi nating tandaan, tayo sa pamahalaan ang naatasang magsilbi (The assistance rightfully belongs to our people; it is not a debt of gratitude. We must always remember, we in government are tasked to serve),” he said.