By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – The 96 public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers who rendered their services for two days under the “Libre Sakay” program of the Bacolod City government have received their service fee of P3,000 each from Mayor Evelio Leonardia Tuesday.
A press statement from the Public Information Office said that the money for the service fee for Monday and Tuesday totalling P288,000 was donated by friends and supporters of the mayor.
The City Government will shoulder the service fee of the drivers starting only Wednesday after completing some requirements, the statement added.
The service fee was distributed to the drivers by personnel of the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) in the presence of Executive Assistant Samuel Montoyo, Tuesday afternoon.
The “Libre Sakay” Program was implemented Monday after Leonardia requested Councilors Dindo Ramos and Cindy Rojas to meet with the transport group leaders last Sept 13, 2020 to discuss the parameters of the free ride program.
For each day under the program, 48 drivers will ferry medical and healthcare workers and essential services workers.
The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) assigned seven point-to-point jeepney routes. Each driver is expected to ply 10 roundtrips per day along an assigned route.
The seven take-off points were set at the following barangays: Granada, Estefania, Bata, Banago, Sum-ag, Handumanan, and Mansilingan.
There are 10 departure times from each takeoff point, starting from 4:30 am to 10:30 pm and with two-hour interval each. The central drop-off is at the Bacolod City Public Plaza.
Leonardia said the “Libre Sakay” is a program of the City Government to address the suspension of public transportation in Bacolod after it was placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from Sept 8 to 30.
Public transport is not allowed in areas under MECQ as mandated by the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Councilor Dindo Ramos, chairman of the Sanggunian Panglungsod Committee on Transportation told Daily Guardian Wednesday that at least 42 drivers will be tapped daily.
But based on their assessment, it is not enough so they will increase the number of drivers to be tapped for the “Libre Sakay” program of the city government.
