BY ARGYLL CYRUS B. GEDUCOS
President Duterte said he will talk to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade about giving stored value cards or Beep Cards to commuters for free to ease the burden experienced by the riding public caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duterte made the statement after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) suspended the mandatory use of Beep Cards in EDSA Busway starting October 5 after Beep Card service provider AF Payments, Inc. (AFPI) refused to do away with the P80 cost of the cards on top of the fare load.
In his late-night public address on Monday, Duterte said the government can afford to distribute Beep Cards for free, especially since billions of pesos have been lost due to corruption anyway.
“We are not prepared for this card. Kaya ‘yang card na ‘yan, card lang naman ‘yan, ibigay na ‘yan libre,” he said.
“Give the card free, Hindi ‘yung pamasahe,” he added.
According to Duterte, he felt bad seeing on the news people who cannot ride the EDSA Busway because they cannot afford to buy a Beep Card. He said he understood that people only have the exact money for their transportation and food expenses. (Argyl Geducos)
