THE Office of the Vice-President (OVP), Sara Z. Duterte together with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) launched ‘Libreng Sakay’ to help ease Filipinos from the rising transport fares.
“We hope that through this program, we will be able to provide relief to some of our fellow Filipinos who rely on public transport for their daily commute to work, to school, and many other places,” Duterte said during the official launch ceremony of the OVP Libreng Sakay program at Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
The OVP and DOTr launched the “Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (Phabs)- Libreng Sakay” in key areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. According to Duterte, two buses will be assigned in Metro Manila, one in Davao City, one in Cebu, and one in Bacolod. The area is a joint initiative between the government and its private sector partner.
In Davao City, the Phabs-Libreng Sakay will serve the areas of Lasang, Toril, and Calinan. The operation will start from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Lasang area will be served on Monday and Tuesday; Wednesdays and Thursdays for Toril; and Fridays and Saturdays for Calinan.
The free shuttle transport will strictly impose the “No Facemask, No Ride” policy to ensure the safety of passengers from Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the wifi-ready buses were meant to be used for OVP, but Duterte said these other Filipinos need it more for commuting to the public for free.
Duterte said this government and private sector is just the beginning of more future collaborations “to provide much-needed relief to the public.” KSD