ILOILO City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) tightened eligibility rules for its P5,000 cash relief program after hundreds of Iloilo tricycle drivers were inadvertently let out in the pilot payout, emphasizing that only drivers — not operators — are qualified beneficiaries.
The cash subsidy aims to help drivers reeling from the relentless increase in the prices of fuel.
DSWD’s clarification came after the April 8 rollout revealed discrepancies in local government unit (LGU)-submitted lists, where some entries reflected operators instead of actual drivers, resulting in missed payouts for legitimate beneficiaries.
“Ang drivers gid ang qualified, indi ang operators.Pero kun ang operator amo man ang naga-drive (driver-operator) mahimu sia maka-avail sang assistance basta verified kag certificated sang LGU,” the DSWD Region 6 stressed in a statement.
The agency explained that beneficiary lists originate from LGUs, which serve as licensing offices, while DSWD conducts de-duplication and releases the assistance.
Officials warned that individuals listed as operators but not verified as drivers during payout schedules will not receive assistance.
“Sa adlaw sang schedule payout, kun m a-verify nga operator kag indi driver ang ara sa listahan, indi ini sia ma-release-san sang cash assistance,” DSWD-6 emphasized.
To address the gap, DSWD-6 advised legitimate drivers whose names were not included in the list to coordinate with their respective Tricycle Operators and Drivers’ Associations (TODA) and LGUs for certification and endorsement.
“Kun kumpleto ang dokumento nga naga-pamatuod nga driver sia, puede ini maka-coordinate sa ila TODA kag sa LGU, kag ang LGU ma-certify kag mapasa sang ila pangalan sa DSWD,” the agency said.
A special payout has been scheduled for those who were unable to receive assistance during the initial rollout.
Data from the agency showed that 8,021 out of 8,450 target beneficiaries, equivalent to P40,105,000, successfully received the cash aid during the pilot implementation.
The breakdown showed 1,873 beneficiaries in Iloilo City (94.45 percent), 2,433 in Passi City (93.58 percent), and 3,715 in Roxas City (96.07 percent).
A total of 429 drivers remain unpaid and are expected to receive their assistance once the special payout schedule is finalized and announced through the DSWD Western Visayas Facebook page./PN
