DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gathalian during a meeting with Transport Network Companies to address concerns regarding cash relief assistance program.
Photo courtesy of DSWD
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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it held a meeting with transport network companies (TNCs) to address discrepancies in the list of beneficiaries for the P5,000 cash relief assistance.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian convened the meeting to resolve concerns raised by transport network vehicle service (TNVS) operators during the rollout of assistance last Tuesday, 24 March.
“I took it upon myself to call for a meeting for me to better understand your sector. Supposedly, the list given to us should already be final—clean, with no additions or omissions,” he said.
“However, during the TNVS payout on Tuesday, many drivers complained that they were not included in the list,” he added.
Gatchalian emphasized that the program aims to support all drivers across transport sectors, urging TNCs to submit unfiltered and complete lists to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for proper verification.
He also called for the inclusion of “temporary” or “tempo” drivers—those employed by TNCs but not formally declared to regulators, often to avoid franchising issues prior to operations.
“For the record, I think you have to admit that. The government is taking the blame from your drivers. This is not an inquiry—we are simply trying to find ways to help our drivers because the instruction to us is clear: leave no driver behind,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief urged companies to coordinate closely with their drivers to ensure all information submitted undergoes proper validation and cross-checking by the department.
He added that the DSWD is in constant coordination with concerned agencies to ensure all eligible beneficiaries are covered by the cash relief program.
Representatives from the LTFRB attended the meeting, along with officials from TNCs such as Grab, Move It, inDrive, Lalamove, Maxim, JoyRide, Angkas and PureRide.
The DSWD noted that among the TNCs included in its list, Grab and inDrive had the most reported issues.
Aside from TNVS drivers, reports from the rollout to jeepney and tricycle drivers also indicated that some individuals were excluded from the beneficiary lists.
