Habalhabal drivers to get 1 sack of rice

CEBU, Philippines — All qualified Angkas and motorcycle-for-hire drivers will soon receive one sack of rice from the Cebu City government.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña on January 15 had issued Executive Order (EO) No. 45 which “aims to help qualified habalhabal drivers and their families with their subsistence through the provision of rice subsidy.”

The mayor did this initiative to aid the drivers after the Supreme Court had suspended the operation of Angkas in the country.

“Whereas, (the) Cebu City Government intends to provide financial and economic support to this displaced public transportation sector to help alleviate the distressed and poor situation of the indigent “habalhabal” drivers and their families,” read a portion of the EO read.

Before the mayor executed the order, the City Legal Office had issued a legal opinion detailing that drafting an EO is “within the scope of powers of the City Mayor and of the Sanggunian.”

The mayor has also set qualifications which are stipulated under the order.

These include that the driver must be a registered voter in the city and must be recognized by the barangay-based habalhabal association or duly registered member of a transport network vehicle service (TNVS).

The other requirement include that the driver must own or possess a motorcycle-for-hire unit and must be an indigent whose income is below P10,000 as certified by the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS).

Aside from that, the drivers have to submit important documents such as profile sheet to the Two-wheeled Motor Vehicle Monitoring, Coordinating, and Assistance Unit (TMV-MCAU) under the Office of the Mayor; photocopy of the motorcycle’s certificate of registration and official receipt.

The president of every motorcycles-for-hire association or the barangay captain will be the authorized person to issue the certificate of membership.

Once the drivers have complied with all requirements, the community organizers of TMV-MCAU shall review it.

At the same time, the TMV-MCAU will submit the final list of qualified drivers for the mayor’s approval.

The said final list will be the basis for the distribution of sack of rice to every motorcycle-for-hire drivers.

For the releasing of rice subsidy, only the qualified driver is allowed to claim it, presenting any government-issued Identification Card.

Those who will fail to claim their rice subsidy after 15 days after the scheduled distribution will be forfeited.

At present, however, the city government still has to procure the 10,000 sacks of rice through a public bidding.

The public bidding will be opened tomorrow wherein interested suppliers are welcome to submit the necessary bidding documents.

The city will utilize the P15 million approved budget by the City Council which was charged under Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) funds.

The TMV-MCAU, along with the office of the Liga ng mga Barangay, shall inform the qualified drivers on the schedule of the distribution. (FREEMAN)