Tugade: No mass transport crisis in Metro Manila, only transportation problems

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Wednesday reiterated that Metro Manila is not in the midst of a mass transport crisis as claimed by militant group Bayan, but only having "transportation problems."

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Tugade refused to use the term "crisis" to describe the current transportation situation in Metro Manila.

"Ang salitang krisis, may kahulugan yan. Sa aking pananaw, meron tayong problema sa transportasyon, meron mga issue sa transportasyon, pero hindi po krisis," he said.

On Monday, Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. said there is a mass transport crisis considering “too few trains” are available for commuters. 

“Of the limited trains we have, ALL THREE—LRT1, LRT2 and MRT3, experienced glitches last week. Hindi pa ba ito iimbesigahan ng Senado? Kamusta ang budget ng mga ahensya?” Reyes said on Twitter.

Before Tugade, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo also dismissed this claim since, he said,  commuters were still able to reach their destinations despite the series of glitches. 

Tugade noted that these problems in transportation including heavy traffic, if not caused by unwanted incidents, were due to the construction of infrastructures that will help ease the transportation problems in the long run.

He added that the solutions—short-term, mid-term and long-term—are being put in place to address these problems. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News