Poe says she’ll keep close watch on gov’t aid to drivers
MANILA, Philippines — “We will be watching.”
This was what Sen. Grace Poe had to say on Tuesday (July 28), a day after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to look into claims of public utility vehicle drivers not getting any cash subsidy from the government.
“With no less than the President giving the marching orders to the DSWD and the DILG to look into the plight of our jeepney drivers, we hope something will be done to alleviate their woeful condition more than four months into the quarantine,” Poe said in a statement.
Poe, who chairs the Senate transportation committee, added that the cash assistance “should reach all displaced drivers,” and that “no one should be excluded or left out” of the government’s social amelioration program (SAP).
Jeepney drivers were among the hardest hit sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic as public transportation ground to a halt when parts of the country were placed on lockdown to prevent transmission of SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The shutdown of public transportation eased partly in July when selected jeepneys, which are deemed roadworthy, were allowed to return to the road for selected routes.
Article continues after this advertisement6,000 Metro jeepneys back; QR codes a must
Article continues after this advertisementAccording to the DSWD, at least P785 million in cash assistance had been distributed to 98,000 drivers of public utility vehicles, motorcycle taxis and transportation network vehicle services in Metro Manila.
Over P785M distributed to 98K PUV drivers in Metro Manila — DSWD
According to Poe, only 8,000 jeepneys— or 14 percent out of the 55,000 registered in the National Capital Region— had been allowed to resume operations.
“Concerned agencies owe it to our drivers and their families to lay down a clear plan on what to do with those who have been kept out of the roads,” Poe said.
“We must not leave them begging on the streets to keep their families’ hunger at bay,” she added.
