BAYBAY CITY, Leyte — As the weight-restricted San Juanico Bridge continues to hamper the movement of consumer goods, the Office of Civil Defense in Eastern Visayas (OCD-8) has stepped up its “Libreng Sakay (Free Transport)” roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) operations to keep the region’s supply chain intact.
OCD-8 Director Lord Byron Torrecarion said the program, which offers free maritime transport for essential and perishable goods, now runs four to six trips daily between Tacloban City and Amandayehan Port in Samar.
This setup allows between 80 and 100 cargo trucks to move across the strait each day, bypassing the load-limited bridge that currently prohibits vehicles heavier than 3 tons.
“This is because, for example, for fuel, Samar only has around 7 to 14 days of fuel. It doesn’t have a major depot. So all the supply is coming from Leyte. That’s why it’s essential to maintain that flow of supply,” Torrecarion said on July 14 during the Regional Rescue Jamboree in Baybay City.
Since its launch on June 18, the Libreng Sakay initiative has already ferried close to 1,000 trucks, amounting to an estimated P100 million worth of commodities.
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The government, through emergency procurement, has allocated about P47 million to fund approximately 360 trips using landing craft tank vessels operated by Roble Shipping Co.
Before the program began, many trucks carrying vital goods were stranded due to the bridge’s restrictions. Torrecarion said the free rides have helped avoid major disruptions in the supply chain.
To ease congestion at the ports and accommodate increasing demand, OCD-8 is preparing to open a new RoRo route from Tacloban to Guiuan in Eastern Samar.
Torrecarion said this was in response to a formal request from the provincial government and is expected to begin within the month.
The San Juanico Bridge, a key transport link between Leyte and Samar, has been under strict load limits since May 10 after structural issues were detected.
Rehabilitation is ongoing, with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) requesting P520 million from the Infrastructure for Resilience and Risk Management Fund to restore the bridge’s capacity to 15 tons by December.
Once completed, buses and six-wheeler trucks will once again be allowed to cross. For now, however, heavy equipment and larger cargo trucks remain dependent on the RoRo system.