By Jel Santos
Nearly 6, 000 tricycle drivers will each receive P2, 000 cash assistance from the Makati City government, Mayor Abigail “Abby” Binay announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Makati Mayor Abigail Binay
(KJ ROSALES / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers have been massively affected by the quarantine imposed by the government to contain the conronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Metro Manila.
“I have ordered the release of P2, 000 financial assistance for the city’s 5, 946 tricycle drivers. This covers the first two weeks of the community quarantine,” Binay said.
"We empathize with the plight of our tricycle drivers who are now unable to earn for the daily subsistence of their own families due to the suspension of public transport operations nationwide," she added.
Meanwhile, the mayor said an assistance package for jeepney drivers is still being prepared as of writing.
Binay called on Makati residents to stay at home and not risk contracting COVID-19.
“I continue to urge everyone to stay at home. Do not risk infection by going out on the streets. Please cooperate and allow us to do our job so we can all see an end to this crisis," she said.
With the paralyzation of mass transport, the Makati local government unit deployed shuttle buses to transport doctors, nurses, and medical personnel of the city-run Ospital ng Makati.
Recently, the mayor issued an executive order imposing curfew in the city from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and ordering the closure of inessential establishments such as malls and bars.
On March 16, Makati City was placed under a state of calamity following the rise of COVID-19 cases in the city.