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)
