Provide adequate transport, Binay urges DOTr
Published Jun 2, 2020 12:00 am
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) not to be insensitive to the plight of commuters who are going to work under a general community quarantine (GCQ) guidelines.
Sen. Nancy Binay
(Senate of the Philippines) Binay said government transport executives should try commuting to work so they can experience for themselves the supposed road transport guidelines they came up with under GCQ. The senator said Monday's (June 1) shift to GCQ, without a clear plan for the commuting public, only added to the chaos, misery and confusion. "Ano ba talaga ang plano ng DOTr sa commuters? Three months under ECQ and still they have no clear plan in place. What happened to foresight?” Binay pointed out in a statement. “Mabuti sila't aircon ang mga sasakyan. Eh kung subukan kaya ng mga opisyal ng DOTr mag-commute mula sa kani-kanilang bahay papasok sa opisina nila sa Clark City o Ortigas? Dapat maramdaman nila ang hirap na pinagdadaanan ng mga commuter (They’re lucky to have their own airconditioned cars. Why don’t DOTr officials try commuting from their house to their offices in Clark or Ortigas? They should know what commuters have to go through),” Binay stressed. “They won't be able to plan well if they don't feel and understand the people's daily struggles," the senator reiterated. Binay also expressed doubts the government is ready to further open businesses and industries that fall under Category IV on June 8, even if they are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity. The DOTr, she noted, has yet to increase the number of transport modes, and mass transport units plying un-served routes. "Baka inaasahan pa rin natin ang private sector na umako ng pagbyahe ng mga empleyado nila. Di po lahat ay may kotse. Di lahat ay may motorsiklo o bisikleta. Di lahat kayang maglakad ng ilang kilometro sa gitna ng baha at ulan (Maybe they are still relying on the private sector to shoulder the needs of their commuting employees. Not everyone has a car. Not everyone has a motorcycle or bicycle. Not all people can walk in kilometers in the middle of rain and flood),” she pointed out. “Di po sila experiment. Our workers and the commuting public don't deserve this kind of treatment. For the past three months, they've sacrificed more than enough," Binay reiterated. The lawmaker lamented it was clear the government is not prepared to manage mobility requirements under a GCQ scenario since there were no adequate buses or public transportation to ferry commuters to and from work. She said it is unfair for commuters when private vehicles are not given any restrictions when traveling. “DOTr knew that Metro Manila and the rest of the regions will soon be transitioning to the new normal. They knew that 30% of those in NCR will start going to work by June 1 but all they can deploy are a few trucks that offer a free ride which compromise and breach all health protocols particularly physical distancing,” she noted. The senator said she can foresee that chaos and travel miseries will continue to confront the commuting public under GCQ or MGCQ until no holistic and realistic public transport plan is put in place. For one, banning jeepneys from plying the streets under a GCQ “unrealistic, anti-commuter at anti-worker.” She said with many jeepney routes left unserved, the government abandoned a critical social and economic sector which has a big impact on the economy and people. “Obviously, DOTr is favoring a certain segment of the mass transport sector, while ignoring and isolating the biggest public transport segment which the majority of the commuting public depend on," she stressed. "Healing is not abandoning one of the most vulnerable sectors that move people and economy. When you exclude the jeepneys from the equation, you also have abandoned 250,000 families--and their children are the ones who suffer the most," Binay said.
Sen. Nancy Binay(Senate of the Philippines) Binay said government transport executives should try commuting to work so they can experience for themselves the supposed road transport guidelines they came up with under GCQ. The senator said Monday's (June 1) shift to GCQ, without a clear plan for the commuting public, only added to the chaos, misery and confusion. "Ano ba talaga ang plano ng DOTr sa commuters? Three months under ECQ and still they have no clear plan in place. What happened to foresight?” Binay pointed out in a statement. “Mabuti sila't aircon ang mga sasakyan. Eh kung subukan kaya ng mga opisyal ng DOTr mag-commute mula sa kani-kanilang bahay papasok sa opisina nila sa Clark City o Ortigas? Dapat maramdaman nila ang hirap na pinagdadaanan ng mga commuter (They’re lucky to have their own airconditioned cars. Why don’t DOTr officials try commuting from their house to their offices in Clark or Ortigas? They should know what commuters have to go through),” Binay stressed. “They won't be able to plan well if they don't feel and understand the people's daily struggles," the senator reiterated. Binay also expressed doubts the government is ready to further open businesses and industries that fall under Category IV on June 8, even if they are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity. The DOTr, she noted, has yet to increase the number of transport modes, and mass transport units plying un-served routes. "Baka inaasahan pa rin natin ang private sector na umako ng pagbyahe ng mga empleyado nila. Di po lahat ay may kotse. Di lahat ay may motorsiklo o bisikleta. Di lahat kayang maglakad ng ilang kilometro sa gitna ng baha at ulan (Maybe they are still relying on the private sector to shoulder the needs of their commuting employees. Not everyone has a car. Not everyone has a motorcycle or bicycle. Not all people can walk in kilometers in the middle of rain and flood),” she pointed out. “Di po sila experiment. Our workers and the commuting public don't deserve this kind of treatment. For the past three months, they've sacrificed more than enough," Binay reiterated. The lawmaker lamented it was clear the government is not prepared to manage mobility requirements under a GCQ scenario since there were no adequate buses or public transportation to ferry commuters to and from work. She said it is unfair for commuters when private vehicles are not given any restrictions when traveling. “DOTr knew that Metro Manila and the rest of the regions will soon be transitioning to the new normal. They knew that 30% of those in NCR will start going to work by June 1 but all they can deploy are a few trucks that offer a free ride which compromise and breach all health protocols particularly physical distancing,” she noted. The senator said she can foresee that chaos and travel miseries will continue to confront the commuting public under GCQ or MGCQ until no holistic and realistic public transport plan is put in place. For one, banning jeepneys from plying the streets under a GCQ “unrealistic, anti-commuter at anti-worker.” She said with many jeepney routes left unserved, the government abandoned a critical social and economic sector which has a big impact on the economy and people. “Obviously, DOTr is favoring a certain segment of the mass transport sector, while ignoring and isolating the biggest public transport segment which the majority of the commuting public depend on," she stressed. "Healing is not abandoning one of the most vulnerable sectors that move people and economy. When you exclude the jeepneys from the equation, you also have abandoned 250,000 families--and their children are the ones who suffer the most," Binay said.