TUPAD TULOY PASADA BRINGS RELIEF TO CRISIS-STRICKEN BATANGUEÑO JEEPNEY DRIVERS, OPERATORS HIT BY RISING FUEL COSTS

DOLE-Batangas
Jul 2
3 min read

As the prices remain high due to the fuel crisis, the burden extends far beyond a driver’s seat. Transport workers, their families, and commuters alike are facing the growing challenges of making ends meet.

To ease this burden, Secretary Francis N. Tolentino of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in collaboration with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), launched the TUPAD Tuloy Pasada Program specifically implemented for affected transport workers and operators nationwide.

Among those crisis-affected transport workers and operators are Jolly Rose Diosio and McDaven Mentoy, who shared how the energy crisis made their daily grind to make ends meet even harder.

As a single mother raising her eight-year-old child, Diosio's priority has always been providing for her family's needs. Over the years, she has taken on various jobs from working as a factory operator to seeking employment abroad as a domestic helper in hopes of securing a better future for her child.

“Noong natapos po ang kontrata ko bilang operator, nag-abroad po ako kaso ay wala pang isang taon ay umuwi dahil sa problema sa amo,” Diosio shared.

Now, with her child attending school and the cost of food, transportation, and other necessities continuing to rise, finding a stable source of income has become an even greater challenge.

Meanwhile, Mentoy has witnessed firsthand how the crisis has affected his family.

His father, a jeepney driver for more than three decades, has spent most of his life navigating the roads to provide for their household.

However, the family now faces a more urgent concern—his father's hospitalization and need for immediate medical treatment.

Both Diosio and Mentoy are among the 149 beneficiaries who recently received assistance through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Tuloy Pasada Program.

The initiative provides temporary employment and financial support to transport workers affected by the increasing cost of fuel. Alongside jeepney drivers operating the Lipa-Tanauan and Lipa-Lemery routes, four inspectors, including Diosio, who helped monitor participating drivers, also received the first half of their salaries.

“Ang akin pong sasahurin ay para po pandagdag sa gastusin ng aking anak, lalo na po sa mga kailangan niya sa school. Kaya nagpapasalamat po ako sa DOLE at nakasali po ako sa TUPAD bilang isang inspector,” Diosio said.

For Mentoy, the assistance came at a crucial time. As his father's immediate family member, he received the salary on behalf of his father, who remains confined in the hospital.

“Ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa ganito pong programa kasi marami pong kababayan tulad ng drivers na naapektuhan ng pagtaas ng krudo. Sila rin po ay mga taxpayers—maraming binabayaran, pero barya lamang ang kinikita. Pandagdag din po ito sa gagastusin ng aking ama sa ospital,” Mentoy said.

DOLE assures that its programs not only support transport workers, but also reach far beyond the roads—providing relief to families, students, and commuters whose daily lives are closely tied to the public transportation sector.#

149 TUPAD Tuloy Pasada beneficiaries from Lipa-Tanauan and Lipa-Lemery routes received their first 10-day salaries at DOLE Batangas Training Area. (Photo by Shaina Ariane L. Masangkay/ DOLE-BPO)

Jolly Rose Diosio is one of the four inspectors who helped DOLE in monitoring the drivers from Lipa-Tanauan Route.. (Photo by Shaina Ariane L. Masangkay/ DOLE-BPO)