27 October 2020, Manila, Philippines – Technology has always played a key role in helping Filipino communities grow and be more resilient – from the ever-growing number of small businesses embracing digitalization to better reach and serve their consumers, to the many driver and delivery-partners who are able to support and provide for their families, and even start their small businesses by being micro-entrepreneurs on the Grab platform.

(L-R): Grab Philippines Public Affairs Head Booey Bonifacio, Grab Philippines Country Head Grace Vera Cruz, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Labor Undersecretary Atty. Ana C. Dione

Grab Philippines together with the Department of Labor and Employment’s Free Bisikleta (FreeBis) initiative, will provide livelihood opportunities, tools, and skills training to displaced Filipino workers as delivery-partners within the Grab platform.

Launching in NCR together with various areas of Luzon, Free Bisikleta (FreeBis) is a special initiative of the DOLE’s Integrated Livelihood Program in partnership with Local Government Units and private sector players such as Grab, which aims to aid workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – including returning OFWs, by providing them with livelihood opportunities within the food- and parcel-delivery service industries.

To help equip them as delivery-partners on the Grab platform, DOLE will provide FreeBis beneficiaries across Metro Manila with bicycle units, helmets, raincoats, water bottles, thermal bags, and Android mobile phones with a P5,000 load in electronic payment application.

Grab Philippines will be screening and onboarding qualified FreeBis recipients and will be providing them with essential safety and service training to be effective and successful delivery-partners on the Grab platform. Apart from the livelihood opportunities and skills training that Grab will impart to these qualified FreeBis beneficiaries, they will enjoy the same benefits and flexibility as independent contractors on the Grab platform.

“Working together and helping each other to overcome the crisis is a hallmark of what it means to be Filipino. Our partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment is a shining beacon of how technology platforms and the government can jointly help improve the livelihoods of many Filipinos. Grab remains committed to the Filipino people, and we will continue to do our best to help our communities safely and sustainably recover from the impacts of the pandemic,” says Grace Vera Cruz, Grab Philippines Country Head.
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