Alfredo Casa, 62 years old, is a jeepney driver Iloilo City. He has eight children, three of whom currently lives with him. Due to his age, Alfredo was not able to go back to driving as he belongs to the sectors most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.

Prior to the pandemic, Alfredo earns just enough to feed his family three times a day.

“I usually earn PhP500 pesos a day which we divide for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Alfredo said.

During the earlier months of the community lockdown implementation, the government imposed strict cross-border mobility restrictions and public transportation suspension which resulted to work displacement 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 to driving, making him and his family rely on his other children’s support. “Today, life is very difficult because since the start of lockdown, I stopped driving. Now, I have no income,” Alfredo said.

Alfredo is one of the 400 beneficiaries of Panay Center for Disaster Response, Inc.’s (PCDR) Relief Assistance for Families Severely Affected by COVID-19 in Iloilo City. On Nov. 14, 2020, he received a food pack composed of rice, mung beans, dried fish, cooking oil, and sardines. He also received a hygiene kit consisting of face masks, alcohol, and hand soap. This project was supported by the Diakonie Katastrophelhilfe (DKH), a German humanitarian organization.

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

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