Motorcycle taxi driver dies while lining up for cash aid
A motorcycle taxi driver died on Saturday while lining up to get his cash relief assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at a payout site in Quezon Memorial Circle.
The unidentified driver died of a heart attack, according to news reports quoting his relatives.
The DSWD confirmed the incident in a Facebook post on Sunday and said assistance has already been provided to the driver’s family.
“We are deeply saddened by this regretful incident. Upon receiving the report from the [Quezon City] response team yesterday, the DSWD immediately coordinated with the hospital, the driver’s family, and his employer,” the agency said in a statement.
The DSWD said the family has been given aid to cover their hospital bills, funeral and burial costs, as well as transportation expenses.
The agency added that it has also extended support for the continued education of the driver’s daughter.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian also visited and talked with the driver’s family on Sunday morning to express his condolences and find out if they have other needs.
According to the DSWD, over 17,600 motorcycle taxi and delivery service riders trooped to its four special payout sites across Metro Manila on Saturday to claim their cash relief assistance worth P5,000 each.
At Quezon Memorial Circle, one of the designated payout sites, at least 2,543 beneficiaries have claimed their cash aid from the DSWD as of 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Mody Floranda, president of transport group Piston, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that the death of the driver was not an “accident” but a “crime” of the Marcos government against the public.
He urged the public and other public utility vehicle drivers to join his group in holding another transport strike on April 21 as he called out the Marcos administration for its supposed inadequate response toward the energy crisis.
