LGUs, LSWDO Solely Authorized to Identify Drivers for Cash Relief — Barangay Captains Not Involved

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has clarified that only Local Government Units (LGUs), through their respective Local Social Welfare and Development Offices (LSWDOs), are authorized to identify and verify beneficiaries of the ₱5,000 Cash Relief Assistance for drivers.

This directive is in accordance with Memorandum Circular No. 07, Series of 2026, which outlines the guidelines for the program’s pilot implementation.

Under the policy, LGUs and LSWDOs are tasked with identifying eligible beneficiaries, including drivers of tricycles, bao-bao, public utility vehicles (PUVs), and other common carriers affected by rising fuel prices and the ongoing economic strain.

The DSWD further emphasized that the certification and official list of beneficiaries must be issued by the LGU and approved by the local chief executive, or mayor, in coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

As such, barangay captains have no direct role in the identification or verification of qualified drivers under the said program.