Robredo’s free shuttle service for COVID-19 health frontliners opens new routes

Free shuttle service for health frontliners in the battle against the spread of COVID-19. OVP Photo

MANILA, Philippines — Starting March 28, free shuttle service for health workers provided by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and its private sector partners will open new routes to cover towns on the east and north side of Metro Manila.

According to a post on Vice President Leni Robredo’s official Facebook page, the journey for this new line will begin at SM Masinag in Antipolo City en route to Fairview and Novaliches in Quezon City as well as other areas in North Caloocan.

This is the eighth route of OVP’s free shuttle service for health care workers since it was launched on March 18. Nurses, doctors, and other health facility staff are considered frontliners in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Bukas, bubuksan na natin ang Route 8 sa ating Libreng Shuttle Service para sa mga health workers at frontliners,” Robredo said.

(On March 28, we will open Route 8 in our Free Shuttle Service for health workers and frontliners.)

“Ito ay tugon sa mga request na ating natanggap mula sa ating mga kababayan nitong mga nagdaang araw, kabilang na iyong mga nagmumula o nagpupunta sa bandang North Caloocan,” she added.

(This is our answer to requests we’ve received from our fellowmen these past few days, this already includes those coming or going to the North Caloocan area.)

Below is OVP’s list of pickup and drop off locations and schedules:

• SM Masinag
  • 5:00 AM — AM route
  • 12:29 PM — AM reverse route
  • 12:30 PM — PM route
  • 8:00 PM — PM reverse route

• Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (Gate 3, along St. Vincent Ferrer Ave. (via Barracks and Malaria Rd., going to Quirino Highway)
  • 6:00 AM — AM route
  • 11:19 AM — AM reverse route
  • 1:30 PM — PM route
  • 6:48 PM — PM reverse route

• North Caloocan Doctors Hospital (Padilla Kambingan beside NCDH)
  • 6:21 AM — AM route
  • 10:58 AM — AM reverse route
  • 1:51 PM — PM route
  • 6:27 PM — PM reverse route

• SM Fairview main mall entrance (for Commonwealth Hospital and Medical Center)
  • 6:47 AM — AM route
  • 10:31 AM — AM reverse route
  • 2:17 PM — PM route
  • 6:01 PM — PM reverse route

• Commonwealth cor. Quirino Ave. (Kabayan Auto Supply across S&R)
  • 7:05 AM — AM route
  • 10:18 AM — AM reverse route
  • 2:35 PM — PM route
  • 5:48 PM — PM reverse route

• Novaliches General Hospital 
  • 7:22 AM — AM route
  • 9:56 AM — AM reverse route
  • 2:52 PM — PM route
  • 5:26 PM — PM reverse route

• San Bartolome Brgy. Hall (for Bernardino General Hospital & Novaliches District Hospital)
  • 7:35 AM — AM route
  • 9:43 AM — AM reverse route
  • 3:05 PM — PM route
  • 5:13 PM — PM reverse route

• Metrobank Mindanao Ave.
  • 7:48 AM — AM route
  • 9:30 AM — AM reverse route
  • 3:18 PM — PM route
  • 5:00 PM — PM reverse route

• Congressional cor. Mindanao Ave. (Mercury Drug Q Plaza  (for Metro North Medical Center)
  • 8:10 AM — AM route
  • 9:08 AM — AM reverse route
  • 3:40 PM — PM route
  • 4:38 PM — PM reverse route

• McDonald’s Mindanao cor. North Ave. (for Veterans Memorial Medical Center)
  • 8:28 AM — AM route
  • 9:00 AM — AM reverse route
  • 3:58 PM — PM route
  • 4:30 PM — PM reverse route

OVP’s initiative to offer free transportation to health frontliners came about as the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine immediately shut mass transportation in Metro Manila, initially leaving health workers scrambling for ways to go to work or go home from exhausting hospital duty.

Aside from this, OVP was able to raise more than P31.2 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for health frontliners in over 60 hospitals helping in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

READ: Robredo launches free dormitory in QC for COVID-19 frontliners

Health officials said that as of Friday, there are 803 patients infected with COVID-19, 54 of which have already died while at least 31 managed to recover.

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic since it already infected more than 532,700 people worldwide and killed more than 24,050 as of March 27. On the other hand, over 124,375 people have recovered so far from the disease.

KGA