ILOILO CITY – Alfredo Casa, 62 years old, a jeepney driver plying Jaro-CPU jeepney in Iloilo City. He has 8 children, with three of them currently living with him. Due to his age, Alfredo was not able to go back to driving as he belongs to the sectors vulnerable to virus.

Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, Alfredo earns an average of 500 pesos per day, which is just enough to feed his family living with him, three times a day. “I usually earn 500 pesos a day, which we divide for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Alfredo said.

During the earlier months of the implementation of community lockdown, the government imposed strict border restrictions, restriction in mobility, and suspension of the public transportation, which resulted to the displacement from work of around 5,000 public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers, 4,000 tricycle drivers, and 10,000 pedicab drivers in Iloilo City alone. Since March of this year, Alfredo was not able to go back into driving, making him and his family rely on his other children’s support. “Today, life is very poor because since the start of lockdown, I stopped driving. I now have no income,” Alfredo said.

Alfredo is one of the 400 beneficiaries of PCDR’s Relief Assistance for Families Severely Affected by COVID-19 in Iloilo City, where she received food packs composed of rice, mung beans, dried fish, cooking oil, and sardines. She also received hygiene kits composed of face masks, alcohol, and hand soap.

“I am really grateful because these [goods] are of great help for our needs in our household. At last we can again eat three times a day,” Alfredo said.

“I appeal to the government to help the drivers like us, who were dislocated from work [due to COVID-19],” Alfredo ended.