Cash assistance for more than 214,000 transport workers is set to roll out next week as the government scrambles to cushion the economic fallout of surging fuel prices tied to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development will begin distributing the aid to jeepney drivers, delivery riders, motorcycle taxi operators, and Transportation Network Vehicle Service drivers — a combined pool of 214,635 targeted beneficiaries.
The relief effort comes as some drivers have already pulled off the road without waiting for any organized strike. Jeepney driver Benny Medina said a full day of trips last Wednesday netted him only P56 — short of even the P60-per-kilo cost of rice.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., speaking through his vlog on Sunday, said the government would not abandon workers caught in the crisis. “Naiintindihan natin ang sigaw ng mga nagpoprotesta na kababayan natin… pero gusto kong ulitin sa inyo, hindi kayo maiiwanan; hindi kayo pababayaan ng pamahalaan,” he said.
Marcos earlier this week ordered the suspension of a fare hike that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board had just approved — increases ranging from P1 to as much as P40 across public utility vehicles, excluding regular and motorcycle taxis. He said raising fares while Middle East tensions persist was not an option.
Beyond economic relief, Marcos called on the public to exercise discipline in how they share information. “Pagtulong sa kapwa, o kahit sa pamamahagi ng tamang impormasyon at hindi pagkakalat ng fake news, huwag naman sana tayong magdagdag pa sa problema,” he said.
The President framed the moment as a test of the Filipino value of bayanihan — communal solidarity in which people support one another without expectation of return. “Ngayon ang panahon para maipakita natin sa buong mundo ang katangian ng bayanihan na nasa puso ng bawat Pilipino,” Marcos said.
