File photo of transportation chief ‘Banoy’ Lopez at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum.
Amidst the devastation left behind by typhoons Tino and Uwan, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) has decided to roll out a series of measures across all transport sectors to assist Filipinos affected by the recent calamities, including free train rides, waived terminal fees and free cargo transport for relief goods.
According to acting DoTr Secretary Giovanni ‘Banoy’ Lopez, beginning yesterday until today, November 11, commuters can avail themselves of free rides on the Metro Rail Train 3 (MRT-3), Light Rail Train 1 and 2 (LRT-1, LRT-2) to help those impacted by the typhoon and ease public transport and mobility.
At the same time, to facilitate faster delivery of aid, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has also waived roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) terminal fees for vehicles carrying relief goods, rescue equipment and supplies bound for typhoon-hit areas. The fee exemption applies to both government and private vehicles transporting assistance in coordination with authorized agencies.
In addition, the DoTr has requested local airlines in coordination with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to allocate free cargo space for the transport of relief goods to affected regions. In an advisory, CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla clarified that the measure supports ongoing relief operations and aims to accelerate the delivery of assistance. The directive took effect immediately and will remain valid for 30 days unless lifted or extended earlier, subject to airline safety and operational constraints.
Arcilla also disclosed that cargo fees for local airlines carrying relief assistance have likewise been suspended even as the Toll Regulatory Board has been directed to lift toll fees for emergency and rescue vehicles responding to disaster operations on major expressways.
In a statement, Secretary Lopez cited that the entire DoTr force is focused on helping (those) affected by super typhoon Uwan: “The President’s directive is clear—to do everything necessary to accelerate the delivery of relief and rescue operations. That’s why we mobilized all transport sectors early.”