Poe appeals for prompt delivery of relief to trike drivers, operators
Published Apr 27, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Terrazola
Senator Grace Poe echoed on Monday the appeal of tricycle drivers for the prompt delivery of relief following another extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and other high-risk regions due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement, Poe said tricycle drivers and operators comprise a significant number of the informal economy workers who are considered as priority for the aid under Republic Act (RA) No. 11469, the "Bayanihan to Heal as One" Act.
Senator Grace Poe (JOJO RIÑOZA / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Mass transportation in Luzon had been suspended since the ECQ took effect in March 17, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19. Tricycle operations were included in the transport ban.
"We should not make them wait any further. Their perseverance to bring us even to remote areas must now be repaid with prompt aid," said Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services.
"They (tricycle drivers) have spared us from having to walk long distances to our homes even in harsh conditions. They do not deserve to wait in line for a day more to get aid," she added.
She cited a report by the National Confederation of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (NACTODAP), which has 2.9-million members, that “many of its non-4P members have only received measly or partial subsidy, if not none at all, from the government.”
Aside from the 4Ps, the initial subsidy to the sector came from the assistance for informal economy workers, local government units’ (LGU) aid, and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), the NACTODAP said.
Under the Bayanihan Act, informal sector families, including beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), shall receive a P5,000-P8,000 emergency subsidy for two months.
In his April 20 report to the joint congressional oversight committee, President Duterte said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has transferred P73.8 billion or 91 percent of the P100-billion allocated amount to the local government units for the distribution of the cash aid to non-4Ps beneficiaries.
As of April 24, some P17.4 billion worth of emergency subsidies have been distributed to over three million low-income and non-Pantawid Pamilya families nationwide, said the DSWD.
Following the easing of quarantine rules in low-risk regions of the country, the government recently decided to limit the social amelioration program to areas placed under the ECQ.
For areas that will be placed under general community quarantine after the Luzon-wide ECQ lapses on April 30, Poe proposed the grant of fuel subsidy and livelihood assistance for tricycle drivers in areas.
"Mas kaunti ang kikitain nila sa pamamasada dahil limitado din ang pwede nilang isakay, kaya kailangan pa rin nila ng ayuda (They will be earning less because their operations will still be limited, that's why they would still need the aid),” Poe noted.
Senator Grace Poe (JOJO RIÑOZA / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Mass transportation in Luzon had been suspended since the ECQ took effect in March 17, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19. Tricycle operations were included in the transport ban.
"We should not make them wait any further. Their perseverance to bring us even to remote areas must now be repaid with prompt aid," said Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services.
"They (tricycle drivers) have spared us from having to walk long distances to our homes even in harsh conditions. They do not deserve to wait in line for a day more to get aid," she added.
She cited a report by the National Confederation of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (NACTODAP), which has 2.9-million members, that “many of its non-4P members have only received measly or partial subsidy, if not none at all, from the government.”
Aside from the 4Ps, the initial subsidy to the sector came from the assistance for informal economy workers, local government units’ (LGU) aid, and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), the NACTODAP said.
Under the Bayanihan Act, informal sector families, including beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), shall receive a P5,000-P8,000 emergency subsidy for two months.
In his April 20 report to the joint congressional oversight committee, President Duterte said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has transferred P73.8 billion or 91 percent of the P100-billion allocated amount to the local government units for the distribution of the cash aid to non-4Ps beneficiaries.
As of April 24, some P17.4 billion worth of emergency subsidies have been distributed to over three million low-income and non-Pantawid Pamilya families nationwide, said the DSWD.
Following the easing of quarantine rules in low-risk regions of the country, the government recently decided to limit the social amelioration program to areas placed under the ECQ.
For areas that will be placed under general community quarantine after the Luzon-wide ECQ lapses on April 30, Poe proposed the grant of fuel subsidy and livelihood assistance for tricycle drivers in areas.
"Mas kaunti ang kikitain nila sa pamamasada dahil limitado din ang pwede nilang isakay, kaya kailangan pa rin nila ng ayuda (They will be earning less because their operations will still be limited, that's why they would still need the aid),” Poe noted.