MANILA, Philippines — Nearly three million commuters benefited from the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) “12 Days of Christmas – Libreng Sakay” program, which provided free rides across Metro Manila’s major rail lines from Dec.14 to 25, 2025. In a statement, the DOTr said LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 served a combined total of 2,841,788 passengers during the initiative, which was rolled out in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ease the financial burden on commuters during the Christmas season. Among the three rail lines, MRT-3 logged the highest ridership with 1,183,950 passengers, followed by LRT-1 with 1,091,951, and LRT-2 with 565,887 commuters. The highest single-day ridership was recorded on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, when 835,777 passengers availed of free rides across all three rail lines as part of the program’s “free for all” day. The second-largest turnout was posted on Dec. 18, designated for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and male passengers, with a combined ridership of 550,138 across the rail system. Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the turnout reflected the government’s continuing push to make public transportation more inclusive, convenient, safe, and accessible. “This overwhelming response demonstrates the importance of accessible public transportation in the lives of Filipino families, especially during the Christmas season. We were honored to serve almost three million commuters through this program, providing them with safe, reliable, and free transportation as they celebrated the holidays with their loved ones,” Lopez said. The “12 Days of Christmas – Libreng Sakay” program assigned specific days to different beneficiary groups, including senior citizens, students, overseas Filipino workers and their families, teachers and health workers, PWDs and male passengers, government employees, female passengers, families, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and solo parents, private sector employees and kasambahays, uniformed personnel, veterans and their families, culminating in a final day open to all commuters.