NEGROS Occidental — Members of various Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (TODAs) of Bago City in this province are availing of free mobile X-ray services as part of a city government program aimed at assisting drivers in complying with franchise renewal requirements.
The activity, spearheaded by Mayor Mayette Javellana, was first conducted on Wednesday at the Javellana Ancestral House (Balay Daku) in Barangay Poblacion, where hundreds of tricycle drivers lined up to undergo chest X-ray examinations required for the processing of their franchises.
Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Transportation Chair Councilor Robert Javellana, who was present during the activity, said the program is intended to ease the financial burden on tricycle drivers, who usually shoulder the cost of medical examinations as part of regulatory compliance.
On January 7 alone, around 315 TODA members were served under the free X-ray program at the Poblacion site.
City officials said the mobile X-ray services will also be extended to other barangays to reach more beneficiaries. After Poblacion, the activity is scheduled in Barangay Atipuluan on January 9, Barangay Ma-ao on January 12, and Barangay Taloc on January 14.
The city government said the initiative forms part of its continuing efforts to support the welfare of public transport workers while ensuring that regulatory and health requirements are properly met./PN
