Nope, they’re not being arrested. Instead, commuters waiting on the streets got free rides on board police patrol vehicles courtesy of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7). | Photo from PRO-7
CEBU CITY, Philippines — With still less public transportation on the road, commuters are still having a problem finding a ride even as Cebu City has shifted to general community quarantine (GCQ).
But the riding public got a bit of a help on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, as police stations took the initiative to deploy their mobile patrols and offer free rides to commuters on the streets.
Read: On second day under GCQ, public transportation still a problem
According to Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), the move is part of the Philippine National Police (PNP) program called “Libre Sakay.”
“This is not a new initiative. [We did this] even before, when we were still in ECQ. We prioritize the old, pregnant women and persons with disability,” said Ferro.
There were no specific routes for the free rides as patrol cars went around the city to search for those who needed a ride.
Ferro said that originally, it was the directive of the Police Chief Archie Gamboa to offer free rides to the public when public transportation was suspended due to threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Ferro said the free rides will continue until such time that operation of majority of the public transportation returns.
Eduardo Montealto Jr., director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) earlier said limited public transportation would be expected in areas that recently downgraded its quarantine status to prevent overcrowding that may cause a spike in positive cases again.
In Cebu City, PRO-7, together with the other stations under the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), also deployed patrol cars to serve random commuters.
Stations under Cebu Police Provincial Office (CCPO) were also active in posting online the free rides for the day. /bmjo