ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DSWD limits daily cash aid recipients to 10,000 ride-hailing, delivery drivers; targets May 13 rollout

DSWD limits daily cash aid recipients to 10,000 ride-hailing, delivery drivers; targets May 13 rollout

Published May 5, 2026 12:34 pm  |  Updated May 5, 2026 01:36 pm
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officials met with representatives of transport network companies at the DSWD Central Office on May 4 to finalize schedules and logistics for the next round of cash relief payout for driver-beneficiaries. The meeting was presided over by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, alongside other senior DSWD officials. (DSWD photo)
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officials met with representatives of transport network companies at the DSWD Central Office on May 4 to finalize schedules and logistics for the next round of cash relief payout for driver-beneficiaries. The meeting was presided over by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, alongside other senior DSWD officials. (DSWD photo)
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has tightened its coordination with transport network companies (TNCs) to manage the large-scale payout during the next round of cash assistance distribution for transport and delivery drivers by May 13.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said companies were expected to submit their final payout plans, including venues and schedules, on May 5, for the rollout next week.
The social welfare department said payouts will be limited to around 10,000 drivers per day to manage crowding and ensure orderly release of assistance, with staggered schedules to be implemented depending on the number of beneficiaries per company.
“Ayaw namin lumagpas ng 10,000 per day (We do not want to exceed 10,000 per day),” Gatchalian said.
Representatives from various TNCs attended the coordination meeting at the DSWD Central Office to finalize their payout arrangements on May 4.
Under the setup, DSWD will handle fund disbursement through its paymasters, while TNCs will manage logistics such as venue selection, scheduling, and driver coordination.
Gatchalian said companies are expected to take a more active role in organizing the payout process.
“Ang sistema, kayo na ang mag-identify ng sites. Ang logistics, sa inyo (The system is, you will identify the sites. The logistics are yours),” the DSWD chief told the TNC representatives.
“Unfair na kasi, puro inaasa niyo sa gobyerno (It’s already unfair because you keep relying everything on the government),” he added.
Earlier, the DSWD said it received a “junk list” from TNCs for the cash relief rollout due to multiple data inconsistencies, including variations in names (such as missing suffixes or middle initials), conflicting birthdates, and duplicate entries that made it difficult to verify identities.
READ MORE:
mb.com.ph/2026/04/23/27-b-in-cash-assistance-for-drivers-in-crisis-could-have-been-lost-without-stricter-validation-dswd
Gatchalian said that with proper coordination, payouts could be completed faster.
“Isang araw lang tapos na ito kung gugustuhin ninyo (This can be finished in just one day if you want to),” he said.
DSWD Crisis Intervention Program Director Edwin Morata said the agency’s personnel will be deployed during payout days to address discrepancies, including mismatched or unlisted beneficiaries.
“If ever po may error pa rin po ang pangalan during the actual payout, may tao po from DSWD to do the on-the-spot deduplication process (If there are still errors in names during the actual payout, DSWD personnel will be on-site to conduct on-the-spot deduplication),” Morata said.
He added that corrected records will be jointly certified by the companies and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
While official schedules will be released through government channels, TNCs are expected to help ensure drivers are properly informed of their assigned payout dates.
“Let’s help your drivers by helping us,” Gatchalian said.
The cash aid is part of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, which provides ₱5,000 to qualified drivers as part of government efforts to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices.

Related Tags

DSWD TNCs CASH AID AYUDA AICS
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.