DSWD: Cash assistance for 328k trike drivers outside NCR to roll out on April 8, 2026

The P5,000 cash assistance for over 328,000 tricycle drivers outside of Metro Manila will be distributed beginning Wednesday, April 8, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said. 

“This week mag-uumpisa na po ang pamamahagi ng P5,000 cash relief assistance ng DSWD sa mga tricycle drivers sa mga major cities sa ating bansa. Sa Wednesday tayo mag-uumpisa sa ating payout activities,” said DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao in “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” on Monday. 

(The distribution of the DSWD’s ₱5,000 cash relief assistance for tricycle drivers in major cities across our country will begin this week. We will start our payout activities on Wednesday.) 

The cash aid is funded through the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.

In a statement, Dumlao said they expect the number of beneficiaries to increase once all reports from the DSWD’s Field Offices (FOs) are consolidated.

She said the DSWD will use the clean list provided by local government units (LGUs) in the payout of tricycle drivers across the regions outside NCR.

“Yung isinumite po ng mga LGUs sa aming mga Field Offices na listahan ay isinasailalim sa deduplication process upang hindi po magdoble-doble ang mga naka-listang pangalan, walang entries na kulang, at para masiguro na tama ang mga detalye sa listahan. Ito po ang gagamitin ng DSWD sa pamamahagi ng cash assistance ngayong linggo,” Dumlao said.

(The lists submitted by the LGUs to our Field Offices will undergo a deduplication process to ensure that there are no double entries or missing entries, and to ensure that all details are correct. This will be used by the DSWD in distributing the cash assistance this week.)

As to the schedule and venue, she said the DSWD FOs are still finalizing with concerned LGUs for the exact location of the payout areas to ensure the accessibility and safety of beneficiaries.

“Para po sa oras at lugar ng cash relief assistance payout, mangyari lamang po na na antabayanan ang anunsyo sa official DSWD Facebook page at pages ng aming mga Field Offices. Ilalathala po naming ang lahat ng payout areas, pati na rin ang iba pang mahahalagang impormasyon bago magsimula ang payout activity,” Dumlao said.

(As to the time and venue of the cash relief assistance payout, please wait for the announcement on the official Facebook page and the pages of our Field Offices. We will publish all payout areas and other important information.)

In Metro Manila, the DSWD said that nearly 100,000 tricycle drivers already received cash assistance to cushion the impact of the high fuel prices. 

Meanwhile, public utility drivers in the capital region who were not able to receive their cash aid during the initial rollout may acquire them during the special payout next week. 

“Samantala, yung mga nagtatanong hinggil sa isasagawa natin na mga special payouts para sa mga drivers within the National Capital Region na hindi nakatanggap o nakapag-claim ng kanilang cash relief assistance, at gayun din sa mga drivers na kabilang sa supplemental list, ang special payout ay gagawin naman natin next week,” said Dumlao. 

(Meanwhile, for those asking about the special payouts, we will conduct for drivers within the National Capital Region who did not receive or were unable to claim their cash relief assistance, as well as for drivers included in the supplemental list, we will be holding the special payout next week.) 

The DSWD earlier said that it has distributed P1.28 billion in cash aid to more than 256,000 public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers in Metro Manila. — RSJ, GMA News