The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Transportation (DoTr)-Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) have partnered with G-Xchange, Inc. (GCash), one of the leading mobile wallet platforms in the Philippines, for the distribution of the emergency subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) to families of drivers of transport network vehicle services (TNVS) and public utility vehicle (PUV) in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The partnership aims to facilitate a quicker and safer approach of cash disbursement since the payout scheme promotes cashless and contactless transactions compliant to the health and safety protocols imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

Moreover, by leveraging financial technology for the disbursement of cash aid, the two agencies want to reduce the risk of crowding in disbursement centers like banks, while also improving efficiencies, and promoting transparency and accountability.

TNVS driver-beneficiaries may withdraw their subsidies via GCash from any Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) nationwide or use the funds to pay for physical and online transactions. They may also use GCash to pay bills to over 70,000 merchants and billers, buy airtime load, and easily transfer money to other GCash account owners or bank accounts from over 40 financial institutions nationwide.

Following the directive from the Office of the President to lead the 2nd tranche of SAP payout, the DSWD will continue to explore more efficient and expeditious means to ensure the provision of needed assistance to low-income families assessed to be most affected by the implementation of the community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ###