Students in Metro Manila on Saturday expressed their gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for spearheading a government program that grants a 50 percent discount on Beep cards used for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3.
Roberto Go, 18, a Grade 12 student at De La Salle University, said the discount is a huge help for his daily commute.
“Malaking tulong po talaga lalo na sa mga commuter students katulad namin. Araw-araw kailangan bumiyahe mula bahay papuntang school at pabalik. Lalo na yung 50 percent discount, malaking ginhawa po iyan,” Go said.
He also thanked the President for initiating the project, saying it benefits young commuters who need to stretch their travel budgets.
Ian Pasinos, 20, an engineering student at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Las Piñas, echoed the sentiment.
“Mas mababa na ang pamasahe at mas makakatipid dahil automatic na ang 50 percent discount na hindi na kailangan pang pumila,” Pasinos said.
Dina Santos, 19, a student at Letran College, shared that the discount will allow her to save more from her allowance.
“Malaki po ang tulong kasi nag-LRT po ako araw-araw. Malaki din ang masi-save ko na pera dahil sa discount,” she said, adding that the easier process of loading the card is another benefit.
“Sa vending machine na lang maglalaman ng card. Salamat, President Marcos, sa naisip po ninyo. Mas maraming estudyante ang matutulungan,” Santos added.
President Marcos announced that the government has also sped up the processing of the student Beep cards, also known as “white” Beep cards.
From the previous seven to ten days, applications are now processed in just three minutes, making it more convenient for students to avail of the discount.
With reports from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)
