Tacloban: The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will launch a free Tacloban-Eastern Samar roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) trip this month for cargo trucks carrying essential and perishable products amid the San Juanico Bridge load limit restrictions. OCD Eastern Visayas Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion on Monday announced the initiative, highlighting its aim to enhance the existing free service between Tacloban City and Guiuan in Eastern Samar.
According to Philippines News Agency, the free RoRo trip between Tacloban and Guiuan will complement the current service between Tacloban and Basey in Samar. Despite the existing free service, there have been reports of price increases in certain areas of Eastern Samar. Torrecarion emphasized that the "Libreng Sakay" initiative is intended to mitigate the impact of the San Juanico Bridge restrictions on vital commodities, including rice and perishable goods.
The OCD is finalizing some documentary requirements before officially launching the free Tacloban-Eastern Samar service. The plan includes a twice-daily trip between the city and Guiuan town, with a sea travel time of four to five hours. The journey covers a distance of 149 kilometers via the national highway, and each RoRo vessel can accommodate up to 30 trucks per trip.
On June 18, the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Cell Eastern Visayas Task Force San Juanico, led by the OCD, introduced the 'Libreng Sakay' (free ride) program at the Tacloban port. This program has been providing free transportation for cargo trucks loaded with fresh produce, rice, fish, fuel, and other critical commodities to maintain food security and commercial activity in the Leyte and Samar provinces.
Priority products under the program include fresh and frozen food, fruits and vegetables, livestock and poultry, rice, fuel, and other essential goods, as identified by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Energy. Torrecarion noted that the program has eased logistical challenges affecting key commodities in the region by offering free passage to suppliers of essential and perishable goods.
The program covers cargo trucks and delivery vehicles officially transporting essential and perishable goods, such as food, medicine, water, animal feed, and fuel. Additionally, government and humanitarian vehicles on official duty carrying relief goods or logistical support for disaster response operations are included in the initiative.
