Metro Manila, Philippines – The government distributed ₱5,000 in cash relief assistance for the public transport sector with tricycle drivers in Metro Manila as the initial beneficiaries on Tuesday, March 17.
The payout was in step with the new big-time fuel price hike.
“Alam ko kailangan ninyo ‘yan para kahit papaano meron pa ring kinikita. Pag wala ito napakahirap na masyado,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told beneficiaries in a payout site in Sta. Mesa Manila.
[Translation: I know the assistance is needed so that you can still have your earnings. If this is not provided, it will really be difficult.]
Marcos assured transport drivers of government support in a period of soaring fuel prices triggered by the Middle East conflict.
Income ‘wiped out’
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian told reporters tricycle drivers were the first in line as the lists were readily available, also noting that it is the majority of the transport sector in Metro Manila.
Around 139,000 tricycle drivers will receive their cash aid until Thursday.
Gatchalian said tricycle drivers had small margins compared to other public utility vehicle drivers. He said that they received reports that up to half of their income had been “wiped out” by the oil price increases since the Middle East conflict broke out on Feb. 28.
Roy Gonzales, a 49-year-old tricycle driver, said he operated in a day with ₱200 in gasoline cost, but that take home is now impossible.
“Dati kumikita ako ₱700, ngayon nasa ₱300, ₱400,” 68-year-old tricycle driver Federico Marcelo also told NewsWatch Plus while waiting for his cash handout.
[Translation: From earning ₱700 a day, I am now down to ₱300, ₱400.]
Local government units (LGU), not the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, have the regulatory power over tricycles. That would also mean there are different fare matrices per LGU.
In Manila, the base fare is ₱16 per passenger for tricycles, according to a 2023 announcement. However, commuters also know there are “special trips” for tri-wheel transportation, with many in the capital flagging inconsistent charges.
Marcelo said expensive fuel has impacted ridership.
“Kahit hindi pa kami nagtataas — kasi ang isip ng mga pasahero, ‘Baka mahal, eh di na ako sasakay, maglalakad nalang ako kung kaya lakarin.’ Kaya kami nawawalan ng pasahero, nawawalan ng kita,” he said.
[Translation: Even if we are not raising fares, passengers may think, “Maybe it’s more expensive now, so I will not take a tricycle and instead walk.” We lose passengers, we lose our income.]
Continuing handouts
Some drivers said the ₱5,000 aid package is already a big help amid high costs, but it may only last for days. They hoped for another round of cash assistance, maybe in a month or two.
Gatchalian said the program may be sustained if fuel prices continue to rise.
For his part, tricycle driver Rodolfo Rivera appealed that they may be included in the separate fuel subsidy from the Transportation Department.
“Kailangan talaga namin magkarga ng langis wala na kaming magagawa siguro magdadagdag nalang kami ng oras para madagdagan ‘yong kita sa trabaho,” Rivera told NewsWatch Plus after the payout.
“Kung lumalabas kami ng alas singko ng madaling araw hanggang alas otso ng gabi, siguro aabutin na kami sa kalsada hanggang alas dose niyan,” he said.
[Translation: We really need fuel. We may need to add more work hours to earn more. If we’re on the road from 5 a.m. until 8 p.m., we may now stay until 12 a.m.]
Planned rollout
The ₱5,000 cash relief assistance, which is funded through the Department of Social Welfare, will be rolled out next to drivers of jeepney, motorcycle taxis, TNVS, and delivery riders in the NCR. Other regions are underway as officials finalize the lists.
Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said they are targeting to provide fuel subsidies by the last week of March, but the amount per transportation mode is still under study.
They will begin with operators for buses, then jeepneys, taxis, and school services.
