House launches free rides for commuters

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives launched yesterday a free ride program for commuters traveling from San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City, as part of a transport relief initiative to ease the burden of rising costs on workers, students and other daily commuters.

The initiative comes as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East fuel uncertainty in global oil markets, with ripple effects being felt across transport fares, food prices and other basic goods.

“This is about making sure that government response is felt where it matters most – in the daily lives of our people,” said House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos in a statement. “While prices of oil and transportation fares increase, it is our duty to ensure that there is an immediate assistance to our countrymen.”

Marcos emphasized that the program, dubbed “Biyaheng Damayan: Libreng Sakay mula sa Kongreso,” is fully aligned with his father the President’s broader economic strategy, which mobilizes all agencies of government to mitigate the effects of external shocks on the domestic economy.

The free rides will cover two linked routes in the morning: San Jose del Monte, Bulacan to Quezon City Rotonda and on to Fairview Terraces.

In the afternoon and evening, the return trip will run from Quezon City Rotonda to Fairview Terraces and vice versa, allowing passengers to move through one of the busiest commuter corridors in northern Metro Manila and nearby Bulacan.

At least four House buses will serve the route every Monday, Thursday and Friday.