The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will roll out additional special payout schedules this week for motorcycle taxi drivers and delivery riders in Metro Manila who were unable to receive cash relief assistance, following issues encountered in earlier distributions.

DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said on Monday, April 20, that the agency is assessing the outcome of the April 18–19 special payouts to address problems that affected the distribution.

“Dahil alam po namin na mayroon pang mga motorcycle taxi at delivery riders mula sa Metro Manila na hindi pa nakakakuha ng cash aid, minabuti po ng DSWD na magdagdag ng payout schedule sa darating na linggo. Tinitignan po natin na gawin ito within this week (Because we know that there are still motorcycle taxi and delivery riders from Metro Manila who have not yet received cash aid, the DSWD decided to add a payout schedule in the coming week. We are looking to do this within this week),” Dumlao said.

The DSWD acknowledged that several issues emerged during the initial payouts despite coordination with local government units, transport network vehicle services, transport network companies, and private delivery service groups.

“Batid namin na may mga issues tayong naencounter sa pagsasagawa ng ating special payouts na hindi natin inaasahan sapagkat naging masusi naman ang ating coordination sa local government units (LGUs), Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS), Transport Network Companies (TNCs) at sa mga Private Express and/or Messengerial Delivery Service (PEMEDES). Gayunpaman, lahat ng mga naging issues, maging sa proseso man o sa mga payout sites ay ating pinag-aaralan at inaassess upang maiwasan itong maulit sa pagsasagawa natin ng additional special payouts (We are aware that there were issues we encountered in the conduct of our special payouts that we did not expect since our coordination with LGUs, TNVS, TNCs, and PEMEDES was thorough. However, all these issues, whether in the process or at the payout sites, are being studied and assessed in order to prevent these from happening again in the conduct of additional special payouts),” she said.

Dumlao assured drivers who were unable to claim their assistance that the agency is working on a system that will allow them to receive the aid.

“Para sa mga hindi po umabot sa cut-offs at hindi pa naka-claim ng kanilang cash relief assistance, hindi po natin hahayaan na hindi nila makuha ang assistance. Atin lang pong pinag-aaralan ang pinakamabuting paraan kung paano ito gagawin para masagutan ang mga issues na ating kinaharap ngayong special payout (For those who were not able to reach the cut-offs and have not yet claimed their cash relief assistance, we will not allow them to not receive the assistance. We are only studying the best way on how this will be done to address the issues we encountered in this special payout),” she said.

The DSWD said it is also reviewing payout site capacity and crowd management measures to improve handling of large beneficiary turnout.

The agency earlier confirmed that a motorcycle taxi driver died while in line at the Quezon Memorial Circle payout site in Quezon City on April 18.

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The DSWD said announcements on the additional payout schedules will be released once finalized.

Beneficiaries are advised to monitor official updates from the DSWD and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

The cash relief assistance is being provided through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the DSWD, which offers financial aid to individuals whose livelihoods have been affected by emergencies or unforeseen events.

Under the current rollout, eligible motorcycle taxi drivers and delivery riders in Metro Manila are entitled to a one-time cash grant of ₱5,000 each to help cover fuel and other day-to-day operating expenses.

The program is backed by a ₱30-billion allocation, with transport workers included among those prioritized for assistance due to the impact of rising fuel and energy costs on their income.

The inclusion of public utility vehicle drivers and motorcycle taxi and delivery riders expands the coverage of AICS beyond its usual beneficiaries, as the government responds to the economic effects of the ongoing energy crisis due to tensions in the Middle East.