Manila: Over 200,000 passengers enjoyed free rides on the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Line 2, and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) during the 128th anniversary of Philippine Independence on June 12.

According to Philippines News Agency, a total of 208,238 passengers were given free rides by the three rail services - the LRT-1 with over 90,000 passengers, the MRT-3 with 79,222 passengers, and the LRT-2 with 39,016 passengers.

In a statement on Monday, the MRT-3 said the free rides were provided to thank the public for their continued patronage and support, aside from celebrating the national annual holiday. 'Maraming salamat sa inyong pakikiisa sa paggunita ng ating kasaysayan at sa pagpili sa MRT-3 bilang bahagi ng inyong araw-araw na biyahe (Thank you for being with us in recognizing our history and for choosing the MRT-3 as part of your daily commute),' it said.

On Friday, the free rides were given to passengers of all three rail services during peak hours from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Both the LRT-2 and the MRT-3 are controlled by the government - the former operated by government-owned and controlled corporation Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and the latter directly controlled by the Department of Transportation (DOTr). The LRT-1, on the other hand, is operated by a private company, the Light Rail Manila Corporation, under a public-private partnership agreement with the government.