Duterte: Free rides from Antipolo to Santolan stations, vice versa for 2 weeks

The fare from Antipolo to Santolan stations of Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 and vice versa will be free for two weeks, President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday.

Duterte made the announcement during the inauguration of LRT 2 East Extension Project after he made a request to Transportation Secretary Art Tugade.

“Binulungan ko si Art, sabi ko Art pwede bang isa-dalawang linggong libreng pasakay para naman maligayahan ‘yung mga tao lalo na ‘yung mga estudyante? Can I ask for a moratorium sa bayad? Two weeks daw kaya niya,” the President said.

(I asked Art if he can allow one to two weeks free ride. He said two weeks is OK.)

"Let me clarify, ‘yung libre for two weeks will be from Santolan to Antipolo stations and vice versa,” he added.

Duterte rode the train after the event.

“Now I’m going to ask for a favor, hindi kasi ako nakakasakay ng train sa totoo lang, walang train sa amin e karomata marami. Gusto kong magsakay para mamasyal…I’m sorry but the Presidential Security (Group) would not allow anybody else to ride,” he said.

The LRT-2 East Extension Project, bagged by construction giant D.M. Consunji Inc and its Japanese partner Marubeni Corp., involves the construction of a four-kilometer extension of the existing LRT-2 System from Santolan, Pasig City to Masinag in Antipolo City, Rizal.

Marubeni is the same firm that bagged the project for the existing LRT-2 line in 2000 and completed in 2004.

The extension project is financed as a part of a ¥43.2 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency under its Capacity Enhancement of Mass Transit Systems in Metro Manila Project.

The two additional stations—the Marikina station, located in front of Robinsons Metro East and Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall in Cainta, and the Antipolo station, located before the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City, opened Thursday.

These new stations will be able to accommodate additional 80,000 passengers, increasing LRT 2’s daily passenger capacity to 320,000 from the previous capacity of 240,000 passengers.

The line’s project is expected to cut travel time between Manila and Antipolo from the previous three hours by bus or jeepney, to only 40 minutes.—AOL, GMA News