1,187 Tabuk City tricycle drivers receive P5,000 aid from DSWD
TRICYCLE drivers in Kalinga receive P5,000 assistance from the government on Wednesday. (Photo via Zaldy Comanda)
BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Cordillera region said 1,187 tricycle drivers in Tabuk City, Kalinga each received cash relief assistance (CRA) worth P5,000, aimed at easing their financial burden caused by soaring oil prices amid the conflict in the Middle East.
Enrique Gascon, DSWD-Cordillera OIC director, said Wednesday that the list of beneficiaries came from the city government, which regulates the operation of tricycles.
“We first (had) a payout for the qualified beneficiaries in the cities within the region but Baguio does not have tricycles, so we are limited to Tabuk,” he said.
He said the drivers simply need to present their valid original driver’s license and a photocopy bearing three sample signatures, which are submitted to the social workers as accompanying documents for verification.
Gascon said the drivers must appear in person as authorization will not be allowed to ensure that the listed beneficiary is the one who gets the assistance.
“The CRA for tricycle is intended for the drivers and personally receiving it would presume that they are the ones who benefited from the assistance,” he said.
He said the aid payout for tricycle drivers in municipalities is set on April 16.
“As of April 6, at least 6,000 tricycle driver beneficiaries have been encoded and we are continuing so that we will be ready with the list for cross matching to ensure that there is no duplication by the date of payout,” he said.
As of Monday, the DSWD-Cordillera has listed more than 1,000 in Benguet; 1,053 in Mountain Province, including the capital town Bontoc; 370 in Apayao; 1,738 in Abra; 1,900 in Ifugao; and 100 in Kalinga.
Gascon said the department did not set a limit on the number of beneficiaries, noting that they have P30 billion nationwide for the CRA.
“We hope there will still be funds for the other transport sectors but as of now, the first beneficiaries are tricycle drivers,” he said.