TRICYCLE driver Janosic Velasco of Iloilo City shows the P5,000 cash aid he received from the DSWD. (Tara Yap)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released more than P40.1 million in cash relief assistance (CRA) to tricycle drivers in Western Visayas region impacted by rising fuel costs due to the Middle East conflict.
DSWD-6 Director Joselito G. Estember said a total of 8,021 tricycle drivers were beneficiaries of P5,000 cash assistance from the national government distributed on Wednesday, April 8.
The pilot implementation of the CRA in Western Visayas was conducted for tricycle drivers in the region’s three highly urbanized cities.
Roxas City, the capital of Capiz province, had the highest number of beneficiaries with 3,715, followed by Passi City in Iloilo province with 2,433, and
Iloilo City, the regional capital, with 1,873.There was no 100 percent payout as DSWD-6 verified the list given by the Roxas City, Passi City, and Iloilo City governments.
Estember said tricycle drivers, not operators, were eligible, unless they are also drivers.
The DSWD-6 is preparing for the next phase of CRA distribution for jeepney drivers and delivery riders in towns across Western Visayas.