‘AYUDA PA MORE’: Iloilo City readies free rides, rice aid amid fuel crunch

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

As fuel prices continue to rise, the Iloilo City government is preparing emergency measures, including free rides for commuters and rice subsidies for families, to cushion the impact on residents and public utility drivers.

Engr. Neil Ravena, executive director of the newly created Crisis Management Council, said a “libreng sakay” program could be implemented as early as next week if only 40% of public utility vehicles remain operational.

“We have already leveled up from Level 1. We are now in Level 2, and that is the agreement of all sectors […] We will have the data, then we could provide additional responses such as libre sakay,” Ravena said.

The move comes as the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative has already reduced operating units on major routes.

Only seven of 15 units are running on the Ungka Diversion route, one of 12 on the Jaro CPU route, 16 of 30 at Mohon Terminal, and five of 30 at Tagbak Terminal.

The free-ride program would cover three major routes: Arevalo–City Proper, Ungka–City Proper via Diversion Road, and Jaro Plaza–City Proper.

“Those are the major arteries of Iloilo City, which, if we place buses, they can go to their point of destinations,” Ravena said.

However, he said gathering data remains a challenge because current figures mainly come from organized cooperatives and exclude traditional jeepney drivers and unregistered operators.

“It is the organized cooperatives that submit their data on how many units are only operating. We need additional data of those that are not in organized cooperatives that still operate in Iloilo City, including traditional jeepney drivers,” he said.

If fuel disruptions worsen to Level 3, Ravena said the city government is considering a rice subsidy of 10 kilograms per family.

The rice subsidy would be on top of the community kitchens the city government is set to launch in Barangay Boulevard in Molo and Barangay Calaparan in Villa Arevalo.

Each kitchen is expected to serve about 50 families, or roughly 150 people, per barangay.

Ravena also said the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is set to convene next week to discuss whether a state of calamity should be declared.