Did you know that the House of Representatives has recently launched a free ride program benefitting commuters traveling from San Jose del Monte,in Bulacan to Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City?

Dubbed "Biyaheng Damayan: Libreng Sakay mula sa Kongreso", the program is part of a temporary transport relief initiative aimed at easing the burden of skyrocketing fuel costs on workers, students, and other daily passengers.

The free rides will cover two linked routes in the morning: San Jose del Monte, Bulacan to Welcome Rotonda, Quezon City and Welcome Rotonda to Fairview Terraces, also in Quezon City. In the afternoon and evening, the return trip will run from Welcome Rotonda to Fairview Terraces and vice versa.

Under the approved set-up, four buses from the House of Representatives will serve the route every Monday, Thursday and Friday, beginning Thursday, March 26, during both morning and afternoon peak hours.

Specifically, the approved bus schedule provides for morning peak-hour operations from 5:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. and afternoon or evening peak-hour operations from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The program--which allows passengers to move through one of the busiest commuter corridors in northern Metro Manila and nearby Bulacan--is a brainchild of House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III of Isabela's 6th district and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte's 1st district.

“This is about making sure that government response is felt where it matters most—in the daily lives of our people,” Rep. Marcos said about Biyaheng Damayan.

“Habang tumataas ang presyo ng langis at pamasahe dahil sa mga pangyayaring wala sa ating kontrol, tungkulin nating tiyakin na may agarang tulong para sa ating mga kababayan,” said the presidential son.

(As fuel and transport prices rise due to events beyond our control, it is our duty to ensure immediate assistance for our fellow citizens.)

The majority leader emphasized that the program was fully aligned with President Marcos' broader economic strategy, wherein all agencies of government were mobilized to mitigate the effects of external shocks on the domestic economy.

“This libreng sakay initiative is part of the President’s whole-of-government approach to protect the purchasing power of Filipino families. Hindi puwedeng puro long-term solutions lang. Kailangan may agarang ginhawa para sa mamamayan habang inaayos natin ang mas malalaking usapin sa ekonomiya,” Rep. Marcos said.

(We cannot rely solely on long‑term solutions. There must be immediate relief for the people even as we address the larger economic issues.)