By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday rejected attempts to politicize President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order granting free train rides from April 30 to May 3, maintaining that the move is a sincere gesture to honor and pay tribute to Filipino workers in time for Labor Day.
“Huwag naman po nating bigyan ng malisya. Hayaan po nating makinabang iyong taumbayan sa mga maaaring itulong ng gobyerno sa kanila (Let us not inject malice into this. Let the public benefit from what the government can offer them,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing at the Palace.
Asked about the timing of the initiative – days ahead of the May midterm elections and amid the release of public opinion surveys – Castro dismissed the notion that the program was politically motivated.
“Ang May 1 po kasi International Labor Day po ito. Hindi naman po natin puwedeng ibigay ito sa mga manggagawa sa December (May 1 is International Labor Day. We can’t give this to workers in December),” she said.
The initiative, which covers Metro Manila’s major railway lines – Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), LRT-2, and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) – is fully funded by the government, Castro said.
“Hindi po ito kukulangin at talagang popondohan po ito. May pondo pong sapat (This is fully funded. There is sufficient budget for this).”
She explained that the longer four-day duration was intentional to ensure that workers benefit from the free rides, as May 1, a holiday, would only see fewer commuters. (PNA)
