Palace dismisses claims of mass transport crisis in Metro Manila

Malacañang on Tuesday rejected the claim made by militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) that Metro Manila was experiencing a “mass transport crisis.”

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that commuters were still able to reach their destinations despite the series of glitches hounding the government’s light railway services.

“Wala kasi nakakarating pa naman ‘yung mga dapat makarating sa kanilang papuntahan,” Panelo said at a news conference when asked if there was a mass transport crisis in the National Capital Region.

Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. earlier slammed the consecutive breakdowns of all three mass rail transit systems (LRT1 and 2 and MRT3) last week. He said there were not enough trains to ferry commuters to work and school.

“We have a mass transport crisis,” Reyes said on Monday.

Panelo, who once lamented the heavy traffic in Metro Manila, also said that commuters could adapt to the situation by leaving home early.

“May solusyon naman doon e. If you want to go, arrive early in your destination then you go there earlier,” he said.

Panelo, however, called for improvements in LRT operations.

"You’re not maintaining it properly. So, I think the management of LRT should know how to respond to this," he said.

"If they cannot do that then there’s something wrong with management. They should improve on the services and tell us exactly what’s their problem so that we can do something about it."

Meanwhile, Reyes said Panelo was ignorant about the public's "miserable" daily commute.

"Makakarating ka nga sa destinasyon pero halos gutay-gutay ka na. Marami ay maagang umaalis ng bahay para lang umabot sa office hours o simula ng eskwela. Walang maibigay na solusyon ang Palasyo kaya itinatanggi nito na may problema," the activist said.

The administration earlier pushed for emergency powers for President Rodrigo Duterte to address the gridlock plaguing the country’s urban centers, particularly the streets of Metro Manila, claiming such authority on paper could speed up the process of implementing solutions.

But Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, said that existing laws were already enough to speed up the procurement for infrastructure projects needed to decongest the capital region.

The Department of Transportation withdrew its proposal for emergency presidential powers last month. — DVM, GMA News