Laoag City—The provincial
government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) and "Arkila," a local delivery
service provider, have collaborated to employ displaced public utility vehicle
(PUV) drivers as delivery riders to service customers in various parts of the
province.
According to Atty. Nikki Pilar, Metro Ilocos Norte Council (MINC)
project head, the provincial government has been creating COVID-19 recovery
projects to alleviate the condition of the stakeholders in the public
transportation sector.
“One way to safeguard the livelihood of our affected PUV drivers
is working with delivery entities since 50% of the transportation sector is
only allowed to operate in the province. We contacted Arkila, the first
delivery service provider that showed interest to our ‘IN BUYanihan Recovery
Program’, to partner with the hiring of displaced drivers,” she remarked.
Five driver-riders were already hired, with beneficiaries
targeted at 50. They will follow a rotational shift in delivering food and
non-food items to customers.
Atty. Pilar also clarified that MINC is only responsible for
accepting applications, while Arkila has the authority in hiring and providing
commission to driver-riders.
“Aside from the anticipated increase of customers because of this
partnership with the provincial government, we expect that Arkila will be
recognized in the province especially that we will now work with jeepney and
tricycle drivers. This will be a greater opportunity for us to serve our fellow
Ilokanos,” RJ Gaspar, Arkila rider, said.
Mr. Gaspar added that Arkila riders are practicing strict health
protocols and observing contactless delivery to ensure the safety of riders and
their customers.
The application for the “IN BUYanihan Recovery Program” is still
ongoing. Qualified applicants aged 21 years to 60 years must be physically
healthy. Furthermore, the application form can be downloaded on the Metro
Ilocos Norte Council Official Facebook Page. For inquiries, contact the
following numbers: 09398793674 or (077) 772-1212 loc 166. (Blessing Angel V. Agliam)
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