The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has ordered transport network companies (TNCs) to submit corrected and verified lists of driver-beneficiaries by Monday, April 27, as it moves to finalize validation procedures for its cash relief program for transport workers.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the deadline follows consultations with more than 150 TNC representatives, where the government required companies to resolve inconsistencies in their submitted rosters before the next payout phase proceeds.

“Huling pagkakataon na ito para ayusin ang listahan (This is their last chance to correct it),” Gatchalian said.

He said the agency has introduced a “clean data room” system where TNC submissions will be validated in real time before inclusion in the payout list.

“Doon sila magsa-submit pa isa-isa, doon na namin ira-run sa system kung may duplicates or whatever issues we may have (They will submit one by one, and we will run them through the system to check for duplicates or other issues),” he said.

Gatchalian said the measure is intended to ensure only verified and active drivers are included in the program, following earlier submissions that contained inconsistencies and duplicate entries.

Under the revised process, the DSWD will conduct only one more special payout round using the validated list before transitioning fully to a tighter verification system.

“Ang agreement namin sa TNCs, we will do one more round on the new mechanism. But after that, that’s it (Our agreement with the TNCs is that we will do one more round under the new mechanism. But after that, that’s it),” he said.

The agency is also preparing to shift toward digital disbursement systems, with e-wallet partners already on standby once a clean list is completed.

“Sa katunayan, ang GCash is a partner of ours. Maya is a partner of ours. Ready na sila. Kailangan lang namin ng clean list (In fact, GCash and Maya are our partners. They are ready. We just need a clean list),” he said.

Gatchalian added that the validated dataset may eventually serve as the basis for a centralized database of transport workers that will be turned over to transport regulators.

“The silver lining of this exercise, for the first time, may database ng drivers, di lang operators. Ipapasa natin yan sa LTFRB, sa DOTr (The silver lining is that for the first time, there will be a database of drivers, not just operators. We will turn this over to the LTFRB and DOTr),” he said.

The cash assistance program is being implemented under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program to support transport workers affected by rising fuel costs.

Each beneficiary is given ₱5,000.

Gatchalian said the agency acknowledges earlier rollout challenges but stressed that tighter validation measures are now in place.

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