Iloilo City Hall to roll out free rides for employees

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City government is set to roll out a “Libre Sakay” program for City Hall employees this week as part of its response to ongoing transportation and cost-of-living challenges.

City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said the initiative aims to ease the burden on government workers, noting that a survey is underway to determine strategic pickup points across the city.

“This week, we will be rolling out our Libre Sakay for City Hall employees,” she said on Monday, April 13.

“We are still finalizing the table top survey for the pick up points.”

The mayor said the survey will identify areas with the highest concentration of employees to guide bus deployment and minimize long waiting times.

“Here in the Iloilo City government, we take care of our own,” Treñas-Chu said.

The free ride program forms part of a broader set of interventions being implemented by the city to cushion residents from rising transport costs and inflation.

These include a fuel subsidy for tricycle and jeepney drivers, which was launched last week.

The city has also conducted pilot testing of a community kitchen in Barangays Boulevard, Molo, and Calaparan, Arevalo, benefiting 300 Ilonggos during its pilot run on April 8.

The kitchens aim to serve full meals to 30 “poorest of the poor” and low-income families in each barangay.

Treñas-Chu said there are plans to sustain the initiative until the end of the year, alongside the fuel subsidy program, if fuel prices continue to rise.