The Department of Social Welfare and Development began distributing cash assistance to Transport Network Vehicle Service drivers in Metro Manila today, March 24 with over 27,000 drivers targeted to receive aid through 17 payout centers across the region.

Similar to the assistance extended to tricycle drivers, each TNVS driver is set to receive P5,000 in financial relief. However, the rollout was met with immediate concerns after numerous drivers discovered they were not included in the DSWD's beneficiary list.

Laban TNVS President Jun de Leon said their group was still scrambling to locate missing names well into the early hours of the morning.

"Alas-4 na tayo natulog dahil hinahanap natin ang pangalan ng ating driver at wala po sa listahan. At nakakalungkot po dun sa social media page namin silipin nyo po kung saan nagra-rant na yung mga kasamahan natin TNVS driver at tawag at text sa atin na tulungan sila," de Leon said.

["We only slept at 4 a.m. because we were searching for our drivers' names and they were not on the list. And it is saddening to see on our social media page where our fellow TNVS drivers are ranting, and calling and texting us to help them."]

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian acknowledged that unlisted drivers were expected, drawing a parallel to similar issues encountered during the tricycle driver payout. He said the names of beneficiaries are posted at each payout center, and that help desks have been set up at every site, staffed by personnel from the DSWD, Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and transport network companies, to assist drivers who need to file appeals.

Gatchalian also urged transport network companies not to filter the drivers they submit to their lists, and called on drivers filing appeals not to direct their frustration at DSWD field personnel at the payout centers, clarifying that those staff had no involvement in determining who was included in the list.

Despite the ongoing distribution, de Leon maintained that the P5,000 aid falls short given the soaring cost of fuel. He said TNVS drivers consume an average of 20 liters of gasoline daily, translating to a loss of over P500 per day.

"Nag-a-average po ng 20 liters everyday ang gasolina na ikinakarga ng ating mga kasamahang drivers na bumibiyahe at kung i-compute ito, mahigit P500 ang nawawala araw-araw sa ating mga TNVS driver. Itong P5,000 kung idadagdag sa loss ng mga ating mga TNVS driver, ito po ay pang isang linggo lamang," de Leon said.

["Our fellow drivers consume an average of 20 liters of gasoline every day, and if you compute that, more than P500 is lost daily by our TNVS drivers. This P5,000, if added to the losses our drivers are facing, only covers about one week."]