Free shuttle service for frontliners to end next week

CEBU, Philippines —  The Office of the Vice President (OVP) will end its mission of providing free shuttle service and dormitories for healthcare workers and other frontliners in Cebu by the end of this month.

The office announced that its #BayanihanSugbuanon will be wrapping up come August 31.

The #BayanihanSugbuanon, the OVP COVID-19 response operations in Cebu that started on July 5, provides free shuttle buses and dormitories for frontliners.

“This will be done in line with the need to shift our resources again to Metro Manila amid the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases in the region. However, our office remains committed to assisting and frontliners and communities amid this crisis.”

“Our Free Ferry Service and the local production of our PPE (personal protective equipment) suits, where we tapped sewing communities in Cebu, will still proceed amid this shift,” Vice President Leni Robredo said in her official Facebook page.

After deploying a team dedicated for these operations in July, Robredo said, they were able to serve Cebu frontliners and communities through various forms of assistance.

She said a total of 11,768 passengers have availed of the free shuttle service.

The buses are plying the major routes in Cebu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City, Consolacion, Talamban, and Naga City.

She said the month-long initiative was made possible by the OVP’s partners and nearly 200 local volunteers.

OVP was also able to help frontliners and passengers in Lapu-Lapu City through its free ferry service, which has so far assisted 602 passengers with daily trips from Olango Island to Mactan Island.

With the help of several stakeholders, Robredo said they were able to provide 232 frontliners with nine separate dormitories in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay.

OPV also allocated P2.25 million to provide relief packs for Cebuanos, with partners and donors also taking part in the cause.

It provided 514 packed meals, 2,477 bread and pastries, 1,150 bottles of water, 205 hygiene kits, and 16,900 kilos (3,380 5-kilo packs) of rice to various communities in the province.

Moreover, OVP delivered the donated swab booths to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu Doctors University Hospital, the IEC Convention Bayanihan Swabbing Center, and the West Cebu Clustered Clinic Swab Center.

“At the core of our operations is a small team from our young OVP staff and the Vice President Security Detachment (VPSD), who held the fort for us during the past few weeks, spearheading one initiative after another. We are grateful to all the volunteers and partners who helped them along the way, whose generosity and warmth made Cebu truly feel like home for our team,” Robredo said. — KQD (FREEMAN)