Lopez: TNCs, transpo officials liable for bloated list of TNVS drivers

MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Sec. Giovanni Lopez on Wednesday said transport network companies (TNC), as well as current and former officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), will be held accountable for the bloated list of ride-hailing drivers discovered during the payout of government cash assistance.

Lopez made the pronouncement during the Senate Committee hearing on the Proactive Response and Oversight for Timely and Effective Crisis Strategy (PROTECT).

During the hearing, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Sec. Rex Gatchalian said the agency was overwhelmed by the sheer number of transport network vehicle services (TNVS) drivers who trooped to payout centers.

“When the Transportation Network Companies first submitted—both for four-wheel and motorcycle taxis—they were the ones who chose and screened them. They only submitted 20,000 to 30,000. But now, for TNVS four-wheels, about 185,000 have already been processed. For motorcycle taxis, it’s 293,000,” narrated Gatchalian.

“They (TNCs) were onboarding more than what they are authorized. They just kept adding drivers, and that’s what’s causing the problem,” he added.

Many of these drivers were tagged as “tempo drivers” or those who are operating in ride-hailing applications with temporary, often fraudulent Provisional Authority (PA) documents.

However, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself has ordered the involved government agencies to extend relief assistance to TNVS drivers even with “tempo” status who are also affected by the Middle East oil crisis.

Lopez, for his part, concurred that the number of TNVS drivers who availed themselves of the DSWD cash relief assistance far exceeded the 78,000 cap, vowing to hold both TNCs and transportation officials accountable for allowing it to happen.

“TNCs should definitely be held accountable here. And not only that, I will extend it further; the accountability shouldn’t just lie with the TNCs. The LTFRB or DOTr should also be held accountable, whether it’s present or former officials, because they let this happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, PROTECT Committee chair Senator Sherwin Gatchalian stressed that they need the correct number of beneficiaries to ensure that the right amount of budget for additional financial assistance will be requested.

“It affects budgeting; it affects our job. Because right now, we don’t know how much [budget] to allocate. If you say that the list is a ‘moving list,’ it’s going to be a problem when it comes to budgeting. We’re not talking about P100–200 million here; we’re talking about billions that will be taken from other sources,” Gatchalian said.

Ride-hailing service provider Grab Philippines, on the other hand, assured that the company will rectify its lapses concerning “tempo” drivers.

“We take accountability for the initial list that we gave. We know that it created a lot of confusion on the ground, and we apologize to our government agencies DOTr and especially DSWD,” Grab spokesperson Atty. Sherielysse Bonifacio said. /cb