ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DSWD turns over 20 e-buses to PWD associations as part of livelihood program

DSWD turns over 20 e-buses to PWD associations as part of livelihood program

Published Jun 27, 2025 03:16 pm
DSWD PHOTO
DSWD PHOTO
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) formally turned over 20 electric buses to various Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations (SLPAs) composed of persons with disabilities (PWDs) on Friday, June 27, during a ceremonial blessing held at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian led the event, which marked the 14th anniversary of the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
The electric buses are part of the Persons with Disabilities-Electric Transportation Service (PWD-ETS) Project, an initiative aimed at providing inclusive and sustainable livelihood opportunities for PWDs.
“These programs must evolve along with the times,” Gatchalian said during his keynote message.
“Kailangan sa paggalaw ng mundo, sa pag-evolve ng mundo, sumasabay ‘yung mga programa ng DSWD. Hindi puwede na ‘yung produkto namin 14 years ago, ‘yun pa rin ang produkto namin 14 years later (As the world moves and evolves, DSWD programs must keep pace. We can't have the same programs from 14 years ago still being used today),” he added.
Under the project, the SLPAs will operate and manage the e-buses as a transport service, generating income for their members while promoting accessible mobility.
Each association is composed of 115 members from 10 local government units across Metro Manila.
The electric buses were partially funded through the DSWD’s livelihood grants, with additional financial assistance provided by Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines Incorporated, which covered half the cost of the units.
GET Philippines is also the official service provider for the project.
Gatchalian described the project as the “most creative and modern” initiative under the SLP to date.
“Ito ‘yung pinaka-agresibo na SLP program na meron tayo. May malaking investment at malinaw ang vision—magbigay ng safe na espasyo para sa PWDs at tulungan silang magkaroon ng hanapbuhay (This is the most aggressive SLP program we have. It involves major investment and has a clear vision—to provide a safe space for PWDs while also helping them earn a livelihood),” he said.
Gatchalian said the DSWD is exploring discussions with relevant agencies on the possible conversion of the e-buses into public transport units accessible to PWDs.
“Ang iniisip na namin, mag-uusap kami ni DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon. Ito ay dapat maging public transport para sa PWDs. Hindi lang ito corporate service, kailangan ma-access din ito ng general public na persons with disabilities (We’re considering turning this into public transport for PWDs. Right now, it operates as a corporate shuttle, but we want it to be accessible to the general public with disabilities),” he said.

Related Tags

DSWD Rex Gatchalian Sustainable Livelihood Program Persons with Disabilities electric bus
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.