Marilyn Cahatol

Around 8,000 Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) drivers line up inside the covered court at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on March 24, 2026, to avail themselves of the government's cash assistance program. The program targets public transport groups affected by massive fuel hikes stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Eon Sanchez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA— Thousands of transport network vehicle service (TNVS) drivers and motorcycle taxi riders queued as early as 4 a.m. on Sunday at a convention center in Pasay City to receive P5,000 cash aid under the relief program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).</p><p>Beneficiaries from nearby provinces, including Cavite and Rizal, arrived hours before their scheduled payout to secure assistance intended to help ease daily expenses.</p><p>The DSWD is targeting to distribute aid to more than 50,000 drivers and riders for the day. As of 8:30 a.m., around 2,800 beneficiaries had already received the cash assistance.</p><p>DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian personally visited the site to inspect the distribution.</p><p>“Ito yung huling araw na nakatakda para sa Grab and sa Move It. Alam naman natin na yung Grab at Move It, sila yung pinakamalaki na TNVS and MC taxi operator,” Gatchalian said.</p><p>“It’s been ongoing for the past three weeks na,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1518126329970505%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>The agency said simultaneous payouts are also being conducted in other locations.</p><p>“Ang target natin ngayong araw, kaya nasa MOA tayo… kulang-kulang 50,000 ang target natin na mga four-wheel and two-wheel na mga TNVS simultaneously,” Gatchalian said.</p><p>“Meron rin tayong isa pang site na ino-operate sa Palacio, sa Roxas Blvd., yun naman para kay Angkas. Ang target nila doon [ay] mga 11,000. So hopefully matapos natin kaagad,” he added.</p><p>According to Gatchalian, the process has improved compared to previous payouts, with partner companies now handling venue logistics.</p><p>“Unlike before, inassign na natin sa mga kumpanya nila yung pag-arkila, pagpapakain, pagbigay ng tubig, sila na yun. That’s their cost. Ang DSWD, pumupunta just to bring the cash and to do the help,” he said.</p><p>“I think, so far, smooth naman. Marami lang talagang ine-expect today na mabibigyan ng tulong-pinansyal,” he added.</p><div><a href="http://1.5 million PUV drivers get P5,000 cash aid; DSWD ready for digital payout — Gatchalian">1.5 million PUV drivers get P5,000 cash aid; DSWD ready for digital payout — Gatchalian</a></div><p>The DSWD also assured that no eligible beneficiary will be left behind.</p><p>“Susuyurin namin. Walang driver, walang tsuper na maiiwanan,” Gatchalian said.</p><p>As of Friday, the agency said it had already disbursed P7.5 billion under the program, benefiting around 1.5 million drivers across various sectors.</p><p>“Ang goal natin by next week, matapos na natin or even at the end of the week kasi sabay-sabay ito,” he said.</p><p>“Basta ang goal natin, by the end of the month, tapos na tayo. That should bring us close to two million drivers at an estimated cost of close to 10 billion pesos,” he added, assuring that sufficient funds remain available.</p><p>To prevent duplication of beneficiaries, the DSWD said it is implementing stricter validation measures.</p><p>“Ang first order of business, sinusubmit ng mga TNC, yung mga kumpanya nila yung mga listahan and then… we do an automated deduplication process. So bago tayo humantong sa araw na ito, masusi nang pinag-aralan yung listahan,” Gatchalian explained.</p><p>“May mga natanggal na kasi nga minsan, nagaappear sila sa dalawa o tatlong platform,” he added.</p><p>The agency said manual verification is still being conducted to ensure the legitimacy of recipients, although it plans to transition to a fully digital system in future payouts.</p><p>Among those who lined up early was Jesus Samonte, a TNVS driver from Cavite, who arrived at 4 a.m. for his 7 a.m. schedule.</p><p>“Dumating ako dito sa SMX ng 4 a.m. tapos ganito siya karami pero mas maganda yung sistema ngayon kasi kumportable lahat ng mga driver. Nakaupo, hindi mainit,” Samonte said.</p><p>He said the assistance will help cover basic utilities but noted that it is not enough for long-term needs.</p><p>“Itong ayuda na ’to para sa bills like tubig saka ilaw. Yun talagang focus nito,” he said.</p><p>“Sa akin, may naitutulong pero hindi siya sapat. For example, kaming mga driver na nandito, yung 5,000 kasi one bill lang yan e. One month, parang ganun,” he added.</p><p>“Kagaya ko may dalawa akong anak, hindi siya sapat. Pero sabi nga kaysa wala, at least meron,” Samonte said.</p><p>Despite this, he expressed hope for larger support from the government.</p><p>“Kung ang minimum rate ng nasa NCR [ay] 18,000, dapat 18,000,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="http://Transport firm inDrive nears full ayuda payout for 11K drivers">Transport firm inDrive nears full ayuda payout for 11K drivers</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9dYlOJxh5Bc?si=XfnaEQqvAkzbvB5L" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Thousands of transport network vehicle service (TNVS) drivers and motorcycle taxi riders queued as early as 4 a.m. on Sunday at a convention center in Pasay City to receive P5,000 cash aid under the relief program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).</p>

Thousands of transport network vehicle service (TNVS) drivers and motorcycle taxi riders queued as early as 4 a.m. on Sunday at a convention center in Pasay City to receive P5,000 cash aid under the relief program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

DSWD targets 50,000 riders, drivers in Pasay cash aid distribution

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DSWD targets 50,000 riders, drivers in Pasay cash aid distribution

Eon Sanchez,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 24, 2026 02:22 PM PHT

Read More:

DSWD

Cash Aid

Ayuda

Rex Gatchalian

TNVS

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