Solon urges DOTr, DBM to find means to sustain Libreng Sakay program 

FREE RIDE NO MORE Commuters queue to ride the EDSA Bus Carousel in Monumento, Caloocan City on Wednesday, June 30. Passengers are calling on the government to extend the Libreng Sakay program as the Bayanihan As One Act end its effectiveness on June 30, prompting the DOTr and LTFRB to suspend its Service Contracting and Free Ride starting July 1. – INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should look for new funding sources if P1.4 billion is what it takes to continue the free bus ride program along the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa), a lawmaker said on Wednesday.

According to Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, the continuation of the Libreng Sakay program for the Edsa Busway Carousel should be a top concern given that it was seen as a priority program for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.

One of Marcos’ first moves after taking oath as President was to approve the extension of the Libreng Sakay program, which involves buses plying the dedicated lane along Edsa near the center island.

“Carrying on with Libreng Sakay should top the concerns of both the DOTr and DBM, considering that one of the very first official acts of Mr. Marcos on his first full day as President last July 1 was for the DOTr to carry on with this program for the benefit of Metro Manila commuters,” Villafuerte said in a statement.

“Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista should exert his very best effort in making sure Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman is able to source or realign at least P1.4 billion in public funds to bankroll Libreng Sakay till the yearend, in keeping with President Marcos’ July 1 directive,” he added.

Villafuerte said finding a budget to sustain the free bus ride program is important, especially in the face of rising fuel prices that have led to increases in the fares of public transportation modes, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR) area.

The lawmaker also vowed to ask the incoming 19th Congress to craft a budget that would include funding to continue the Libreng Sakay program until 2023.

“This is the very least that the new Administration can do for poor and low-income commuters in the NCR at this time of a global oil shock that has jacked up headline inflation and prompted the government to increase public transport fares,” he said.

On Monday, Bautista said the DOTr may need an additional budget of P1.4 billion to continue the Libreng Sakay program until the end of the year. However, the DOTr chief admitted that the department has no available budget to continue the program.

Bautista said that if there is really a need to continue the project, they can ask for help from DBM.

Last June 24,  Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) executive director Tina Cassion said they wanted to extend the program. However, it would require a supplemental budget as 80 percent of the allocated funds have been spent already.

She said the program now covers 942 routes, up from 546 last year, while the number of deployed units also jumped from 5,734 to 16,691.

READ: Free rides on Edsa extended to July 31

‘Release fuel subsidies’

But aside from just continuing the free bus rides, Villafuerte also asked the government to release fuel subsidies quicker to support drivers of the various transportation modes and provide free train trips for senior citizens, persons with disability (PWDs) and solo parents.

“President BBM’s move to greenlight on Day One of his presidency the extension of the Libreng Sakay program is a harbinger of the better days ahead on his watch for our people, particularly the masa who have been hit the hardest by the economic crisis touched off by the over two-year COVID-19 pandemic plus the oil price shock, food supply squeeze and other ill effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he added.

The Libreng Sakay has been hailed by commuters as a big help, although transportation woes have continued as people have complained of very long queues along the Edsa Busway.

But transport advocates stressed that the Libreng Sakay program is just a temporary solution, with the commuter group The Passenger Forum noting that the P1.4 billion budget mentioned by Bautista should be used to fix transportation woes wholly.

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