Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte has slammed the country’s transportation officials for "giving up" easily on the Libreng Sakay or free ride program, which will no longer resume this year contrary to earlier plans.

“I hope our transport executives were just joking when they said just recently that they were ditching Libreng Sakay altogether despite the availability of limited funds from the DBM (Department of Budget and Management)," Villafuerte said in a statement Friday, Feb. 10.

"It does not speak well of our officials in this sector when their first response is to simply give it up instead of exhausting other means to try to keep this pro-masa (masses) program going till end-2023, at the least, such as asking Malacañan Palace or DBM to augment this year’s budget for the SCP (Service Contracting Program),” he noted.

Villafuerte noted that DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman confirmed last month that P1.285 billion had been set aside for the restart of Libreng Sakay this 2023.

“So I am at a loss over this surprise turnaround by our transport officials," said the solon, who is the majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).

In a Jan. 16 statement, Villafuerte welcomed the original government plan to continue with this free bus ride project along EDSA, given that it would provide another financial relief to Metro Manila commuters grappling with the ever-increasing cost of living.

But less than two weeks later, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board ((LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III and DOTr officials announced in a Jan. 27 press briefing that this project may no longer push through despite its almost P1.3-billion allotment.

Guadiz said DOTr officials were instead eyeing the implementation of an expanded discount system for buses and other public utility vehicles (PUVs).

However, he was quoted as saying that: “For now, we are awaiting instructions from the DOTr. The intention is to stretch the money for as long as we can to include jeepneys and shuttle rides–not only buses.”

“Transport officials have to explain to us why—out of the blue—they seemed to have had a supposed epiphany that Libreng Sakay is no longer needed and that they would just realign the SCP budget to other transport projects such as fare discounts,” Villafuerte said.

“It behooves the DOTr, LTFRB and DBM to find ways to resume the free bus rides ASAP—and to scour for funds to extend this pro-poor program till the end of 2023 at the least—considering that NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) director-general and concurrent Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said earlier that protecting the purchasing power of Filipinos remained on top of the Marcos administration’s priorities as domestic and global headwinds continue to be a challenge,” stressed the Bicolano.