THE government-sponsored roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) vessel trips have already carried 241 trucks loaded with essential goods between Tacloban City and Basey, Samar amid the San Juanico Bridge crisis.
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The program has already served 215 cargo trucks and 26 fuel tankers across the Tacloban–Amandayehan–Basey corridor through the 16 trips since its launch on June 18 up until Tuesday night (June 24, 2025), Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Eastern Visayas Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion said on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
Covered by the program are cargo trucks and delivery vehicles officially transporting essential and perishable goods such as food, medicine, water, animal feed, and fuel.
Government and humanitarian vehicles on official duty carrying relief goods or logistical support for disaster response operations are also included.
“We want to reiterate the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to maximize the Libreng Sakay by reducing the anchorage hours. This is a program of the government to ensure that there will be no spike of prices of goods,” Torrecarion said in an interview.
The Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Cell Eastern Visayas Task Force San Juanico received reports that long hours of anchorage after loading has caused delay in the transport of cargo trucks.
“This is something that we will check with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and streamline the process of loading and unloading,” he said.
The completion of installation of night navigational aids on June 23 has allowed the Libreng Sakay to operate day and night, ensuring that the movement of essential goods continues 24 hours.
However, the ongoing expansion of Amandayehan Port in Basey town is still a setback since only one RoRo ramp is operational. The second ramp is expected to be completed by July. (PNA)