The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has revealed major discrepancies in the list of motorcycle taxi riders listed as government aid beneficiaries, which could result in the wrongful distribution of billions of pesos due to alleged 'ghost riders."

The issue intensified during the hearing of the House Committee on Transportation, chaired by Franz Pumaren, where lawmakers scrutinized government agencies and transport network companies regarding major inconsistencies in the list of beneficiaries.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said the issue stemmed from the absence of a “clean list” before aid distribution. Unlike previous programs where the agency conducted its own verification, the current list came from external sources such as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and transport network companies, raising serious data integrity concerns.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian described the list as a “junk list,” citing duplicate entries, inconsistent name formats, missing information, and conflicting birthdates. He noted that app-based riders registered across multiple platforms may have been listed more than once.

At a recent hearing, the DSWD said it blocked the system before digital payouts could proceed, preventing up to P2.7 billion from being erroneously disbursed.

The agency has since shifted to manual verification, requiring beneficiaries to appear in person and present valid identification to confirm their identity.

The DSWD also reported that about 20 percent of listed beneficiaries have yet to claim their aid, raising further doubts about the legitimacy of some entries.

Motorcycle rights advocate Jobert Bolaños disputed the explanation that the issue was merely a data discrepancy, saying the scale suggests possible over-declaration. He pointed to one platform that allegedly submitted more than 200,000 riders despite a declared capacity of about 15,000, indicating the possible inclusion of “ghost riders.”

Bolaños warned that if each questionable entry received P5,000, up to P1 billion in public funds could have been at risk. He added that even after data cleansing, the number of riders still exceeds set limits, pointing to systemic flaws in data submission and verification.

The congressional committee led by Alfredo Pumaren signaled a possible deeper investigation to determine accountability, particularly among platforms that submitted the data.

Lawmakers called for tighter verification measures to safeguard public funds, while the DSWD said it remains committed to ensuring the integrity of aid distribution through stricter validation processes.