THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday launched the “Libreng Sakay” program simultaneously in key areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to take some financial load off commuters who are reeling from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Libreng Sakay or the “Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (PHABS)” program kicked off in Metro Manila in Luzon, in the cities of Cebu, Lapulapu, Mandaue and Bacolod in the Visayas, and Davao City in Mindanao.
“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 to many other places,” Duterte said during the launch ceremony of the OVP Libreng Sakay program at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITE) that was also graced by Transportation Secretary Jaime Baustista.
Duterte said the OVP, which will use the five buses lent by the private sector for her vice-presidential campaign, will have two buses assigned in Metro Manila, one each in Davao City, Bacolod City, and the province of Cebu.
The OVP said the free shuttle transport will strictly impose the “No Facemask, No Ride” policy to ensure the safety of passengers from COVID-19.
The WIFI-ready buses could have been used by the OVP for official functions but Duterte said these “would be more useful” if they are deployed in some key areas of the country to be used by the commuting public for free.
“These were buses that were lent to us during the campaign and after the campaign, after election day, there were no more trips, they became idle,” she said.
Duterte said the program will support the national government’s own Libreng Sakay Program “and at the same time, it is hoped that this meager contribution will translate to daily savings for our public transport-riding kababayan.”
Duterte said she is confident this is just the beginning of many more successful collaborations with the private sector “to provide much-needed relief to the public.”
In Metro Manila, pick-up of passengers will start as early as 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays and will follow the usual EDSA bus way route.
Mandaue City will start ferrying passengers from Jagobiao at 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Mondays and Tuesdays, while Cebu City will commence at 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. from SM Seaside to IT Park.
Lapulapu City shuttles start at 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, from the Mactan Economic Processing Zone (MEPZ) 1.
PERMANENT OVP ‘HOME’
A party-list lawmaker yesterday filed a bill seeking the establishment and construction of a permanent official residence for the Vice President, just a week after Vice President Sara Duterte underscored such a need.
Kusug Tausug party-list Rep. Shernee Tan-Tambut filed House Bill No. 2698, authorizing the Vice President to create a technical working group (TWG) “that will determine the location of the permanent site, planning, design, cost estimates and other details related to the construction of the official residence.”
The bill said the construction of the OVP’s permanent home shall be completed within six months after the approval of the law.
The author pointed out that while the Constitution explicitly provides that the President shall have an official residence, there is no provision prohibiting the establishment of an official residence for the second highest elected official of the land.
“And so, the Office of the Vice President has to move from one place to another depending on the choice of the Vice President. Our past vice presidents used the Coconut Palace or the Tahanang Maharlika and also the Quezon City Reception House in New Manila, Quezon City. Being the second highest elected public official of the land, the Vice President needs a presentable official residence where he or she can meet official visitors like public officials, foreign dignitaries or even common people needing assistance,” the bill said.
The Vice President’s spokesman, Reynold Munsayac, last week said Duterte wants the OVP to eventually have its own permanent office to negate the need to look for a new place after every national election.
Former vice president Leni Robredo held office at the Quezon City Reception House in New Manila throughout her six-year term but Duterte decided to move the OVP to Mandaluyong City.
