OVP to Expand Free Ride Services During Nationwide Transport Strike

MANILA – The Office of the Vice President (OVP) announced plans to expand its Libreng Sakay (free ride) program in response to the upcoming three-day nationwide transport strike by groups Manibela and Piston, starting Thursday. This initiative aims to mitigate the impact on commuters across several major regions in the Philippines.

According to Philippines News Agency, additional routes will be included to the Libreng Sakay service to assist commuters disrupted by the strike. The service expansion will feature a new route from the Parañaque Integrated Exchange Terminal (PITX) to Naic, covering seven towns in the province of Cavite and connecting to the central terminal in Parañaque City. This is in addition to the 11 existing routes that currently operate in Metro Manila, Cebu, Bacolod, and Davao.

Currently, the OVP operates four buses in the National Capital Region for key routes including Quiapo to Commonwealth and the EDSA Carousel from PITX to Monumento. Each city in Cebu, Bacolod, and Davao has also been equipped with a dedicated bus to cover significant local routes. As of July 31, the Libreng Sakay initiative has reportedly served over 1.36 million passengers nationwide.

The expansion of this program reflects the OVP’s commitment to providing essential transportation services during periods of disruption, ensuring that commuters can continue to travel despite the challenges posed by the transport strike.