The libreng sakay or free ride program will not push through this November, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista confirmed on Friday, Oct. 27.
Bautista made the confirmation in an interview with reporters.
"Walang libreng sakay. Wala, wala," he answered when asked if the program would continue this month as per the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board's (LTFRB) previous announcement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: Transoprtion Sec. Jaime Bautista, nilinaw na walang &lsquo;Libreng Sakay&rsquo; simula Nobyembre at ito at patuloy na pinag-aaralan ng DOTR | <a href="https://twitter.com/dzrhnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dzrhnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZyMKDvRNFR">pic.twitter.com/ZyMKDvRNFR</a>
&mdash; Christian Ma&ntilde;o (@xtian_mano) <a href="https://twitter.com/xtian_mano/status/1717745769070113159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
The Transportation Secretary mentioned that there is only an allotted<a href="https://www.dzrh.com.ph/post/libreng-sakay-to-continue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;₱1.2 million budget </a>for the Libreng Sakay.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Yung libreng sakay na pondo natin ay napakaliit, yung budget natin for service contracting ay&nbsp;₱1.2 million. Kung gagamitin natin iyan, halos konti lang makikinabang. Ibigay natin doon sa talagang nangangailangan,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
Bautista said the DOTr will further study the &ldquo;gross contracting&rdquo; or libreng sakay and the &ldquo;net contracting&rdquo; or the fare discounts for commuters.&nbsp;
Last Oct. 9, suspended LTFRB&nbsp;Chief Teofilo 'Jojo' Guadiz announced that the<a href="https://www.dzrh.com.ph/post/libreng-sakay-to-return-in-november" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> free ride program would return by November or December this year</a>.
Guadiz said the public utility jeepneys (PUJs) are included in the program.&nbsp;

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Libreng sakay will not push through this November - DOTr Chief