The OVP Bus

Saw this again, parked in front of Office of the Vice President in Nulatula Tacloban.
Wala lang hehe, nakita, nilapitan, pinektyuran. Yun lang! A good looking bus anyway.

Okay okay fine.., the reason I took that photo (I even wanted to board and peep inside - kaso sarado, walang tao, Sunday kasi eh) was... it is still a hot topic on social media discussions, not just in Tacloban but even in the whole Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)!

Like what? Like lately, the topic has been some jeep & bus drivers of/to the northern barangays were complaining that their earnings are affected by this 'Libreng Sakay'.

The funny thing is: it has now become A Household War - of fathers (drivers) versus mothers (their wives, mainly vendors) and students (their children in college, even HS)!

Haruy adto na! Hala bibra sasari kamo!

What is Libreng Sakay Program

"initiative of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) which aims to ease the daily burden of commuting by providing free rides to Filipinos who rely on public transportation." Da!

Nice naman. Is that an issue?

Noble naman pala, what's the ginkakarigumokan ha Tacloban? Aw hehe, apparently purportedly fueled by the TODAs (Transport Operators and Drivers Associations) na a.k.a. jeep/bus owners, the noble deed is killing their lucrative transport business/es.

Aw ayun, me nasagasaan... naligis!

The Arguments (and Views):

Ahh, their concerns and narratives are all valid. Makalilisang ini but interesting!

Drivers and Operators/Owners

Simple maka-sariling economics... "you are hauling passengers on an air-conditioned bus, libre pa. So, kulang na ang sumasakay sa amin, wala na kaming kita." Tama yata?!

Mothers and Students (and other citizens)

Same personal mathematics..."eh ang mahal nyo, siksikan na mabagal pa. Samantala ang OVP bus, malinis mabango mabilis aircon at libre, ba't di kami sasakay?" Tama din!

Am not sure but fare is around P30 upwards, to/from those northern barangays.

The Sawsawerong Madlang Public

Bakit may ganyan in the first place? Responsibilidad na ba yan ng Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines? Kung ano lang ang maisip go na agad? Tama naman din?!

Tama sila, kayo, tayo. Tama lahat. Now what?

Therefore, ayan na, pag maraming tama, tamang me tatamaan ng tama. Ta! Haduy!
Ah basta, one of these days, makakasasakay at sasakay ako dyan. Bucket listed na!
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