A rider died during ayuda distribution in Quezon Memorial Circle
The US-led conflict in the Middle East has already had a significant impact on countries that rely on oil imports from the region, including the Philippines. To help cushion the effect, the government has rolled out targeted relief, a.k.a. ayuda, for the most affected sectors, including the transport sector.
Although it is already 2026, the distribution of ayuda to PUV drivers still follows a what seemed to be a 1970s-era system where beneficiaries are required to line up at a single location to receive cash assistance from the government. Critics have long raised concerns over its efficiency and vulnerability to corruption. In a recent incident, the process turned tragic after a motorcycle rider died during a distribution event from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.
Thousands of qualified motorcycle riders lined up at the Quezon Memorial Circle on Saturday in hopes of receiving the PHP 5,000 cash aid, with some arriving as early as the early hours of the morning. Most of those in queue were exposed to the intense midday heat, with little to no shade available along the area. Authorities later noted that heat exhaustion was a contributing factor in the rider’s collapse and subsequent death.
“As if we're begging”
In an emotional interview, one of the riders expressed disappointment over what many of them see as the government treating them like beggars waiting for ayuda.
Edwin Echalose, who said he has been working as a delivery rider since 2016, shared that he had been repeatedly turned away by the DSWD because his name was not on the list, along with several others who they believe are qualified beneficiaries. He also said he had been in line since the first day of distribution and was again forced to queue on the latest schedule just to try to receive the assistance by proving himself as a qualified beneficiary after showing officials his rider app profile.
“Actually ang problema ay yung listahan. Palpak yung listahan nila. Hindi ko alam kung saan nila kinukuha yung listahan nila. Tinignan pa nila yung Grab app ko na [para] talaga akong buma-biyahe sa Grab. Nung nakita nila yun, saka nila ako pinapasok dito…First day nung bigayan andito [na] ako, 2016 nasa Grab na ako. Saan ba nila kinuha yung listahan?”
(Actually, the problem is the list. Their list is flawed. I don’t know where they got it from. They even checked my Grab app, which shows that I really work as a Grab rider. When they saw that, that’s when they allowed me in. I was already here on the first day of distribution, and I’ve been with Grab since 2016. Where did they get that list from?)
Echalose added that the government could have just coordinated directly with companies like Grab or Angkas to verify the list of qualified riders and use their digital wallets, allowing the payout to be distributed digitally. He said this would remove the need for riders to skip work, queue under the heat of the sun, and risk heat-related illness such as heatstroke.
“Meron kaming application ng Grab, bakit hindi nila pwedeng itapat dun? Mapapakinabangan pa namin. Hindi na kami pipila sa ganito na para kaming nag-mamakaawa. Ano yun?”
(We have the Grab app, why can’t they match it with that? It would be more useful for us. We wouldn’t have to line up like this as if we’re begging. What is that?)
