The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD FO CAR), under its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), provided Cash Relief Assistance (CRA) on 16 April 2026 to thousands of transport workers affected by the continued rise in fuel prices. This is part of the simultaneous payout conducted by the Department to help ease the impact of the energy emergency.
As of 17 April 2026, at 3:57 PM, a total of 6,974 members of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) have been served. Among the provinces, Abra recorded the highest number of beneficiaries with 2,788, followed by Ifugao with 1,800. Mountain Province accounted for 1,017 beneficiaries, while Benguet served 906 recipients. Meanwhile, Apayao and Kalinga recorded 354 and 109 beneficiaries, respectively, reflecting the Department’s continued efforts to extend timely cash relief assistance to transport workers, particularly drivers across the Cordillera region.
“We will continue to provide the assistance to the drivers who have been earlier identified by the Local Government Units and are included in our clean list. Those who were unable to receive their cash aid during the scheduled payout may still claim it until the end of April 2026 at their respective Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Offices”, DSWD FO CAR OIC Regional Director Enrique H. Gascon, Jr. said.
Through the AICS CRA, DSWD FO CAR aims to help ease the financial burden of transport workers, sustain their daily operations, and support their capacity to provide for their families amid rising fuel costs. The CRA was designed by the DSWD to help drivers and driver-operators with legitimate franchise. The lists that were submitted by their respective Local Government Units (LGUs) were run through a deduplication process by the DSWD. Meanwhile, grievances and concerns on exclusion were also received during the payout. These appeals will then be forwarded to and coordinated with the LGUs for proper intervention.
“We would like to encourage all identified beneficiaries to immediately claim the assistance. Personally bring your valid driver’s license as we do not allow representatives to receive the cash assistance. Meanwhile, we would like to assure other transport sectors who are yet to receive their assistance that we are closely working with necessary offices to fast track their payout”, Director Gascon added.
Other transport sectors such as drivers of public utility jeepney, taxi, transport network vehicle services (TNVS), and motorcycle delivery riders, are advised to await further announcements regarding their respective payout schedules.
Details for future payout schedule and legitimate information about the CRA maybe accessed through the DSWD Field Office CAR Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/dswdcordilleraregion or through DSWD FO CAR’s website https://www.car.dswd.gov.ph. Individuals with questions and clarifications may visit DSWD FO CAR’s Crisis Intervention Section at SN Oriental Building, Baguio City or any of the Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Offices in the provinces. They may also communicate through focar@dswd.gov.ph or +6374-661-0430. # DSWD FIELD OFFICE CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, MAYROSE U. CARIÑO and NERIZZA FAYE G. VILLANUEVA-TRINIDAD
