The Department of Social Welfare and Development said it may use e-wallets to distribute cash relief assistance to public utility vehicle drivers, but only after receiving a verified list of beneficiaries.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the agency supports digital disbursement, noting that existing programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program already use similar systems.

“We need to verify and validate. First, are these real individuals? Second, are they legitimate drivers?” Gatchalian said.

He stressed that the DSWD does not generate the list of beneficiaries, which is submitted by transport network companies.

“The DSWD operates on the premise that to ensure proper payout, there must be a clean list,” he said.

Gatchalian added that the lists provided so far contain errors and duplicate entries.

“Unfortunately, the lists being submitted to us by TNCs are junk lists,” he said.

The agency has set a 27 April deadline for transport network companies to submit a clean and verified list to facilitate the proper distribution of assistance.